


Oh How the Mighty Fall

by Ghostlyfluffster



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon, Pokemon ORAS
Genre: Anal Sex, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fake Dating, Friends to Lovers, Kidnapping, M/M, Mutual Masturbation, NSFW, Near Drowning, Slow Burn, So..., Team Aqua - Freeform, Team Magma - Freeform, Two science class drop outs think that they can escape from the Pokemon version of the FBI, hardenshipping - Freeform, probably one chapter will have some sexy times in it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2019-07-25 16:10:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 136,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16201007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostlyfluffster/pseuds/Ghostlyfluffster
Summary: After the defeat of their respective teams, former leaders Archie and Maxie for once have the same goal; to escape from the authorities in Hoenn by going into hiding.





	1. The Getaway

The night was absolutely perfect. The moon was full and the stars twinkled brightly in the clear night sky, illuminating the small sailing community below. The normal humidity in the Hoenn air had vanished when the sun had set all of those hours ago. All of these factors deemed the night to be as perfect as it could be. 

It was strange to think that mere days ago Hoenn had nearly faced catastrophe. The legendary beasts Kyorge and Groudon had been awakened. Molten earth clashed with angry waves in a struggle for dominance. The sight was thrilling in the most terrifying sense of the word. Maxie Matsubusa, the proud and collected leader of Team Magma had watched with glee as the primal Kyorge's water attacks evaporated once they got close to the mighty Groudon. Despite the type disadvantage, Groudon looked like it had the upper hand. All of Team Magma's goals and dreams were about to come true. The world was going to be cleansed of its bothersome oceans. The world was about to become a utopia for people and land Pokemon alike. 

If things had worked out, however, Maxie wouldn't be hearing horrible sounds of the gentle waves as they briefly invaded the Lilycove shore before drawing back out to sea right now. The sight, the sound, the smell of the blasted ocean made Maxie sick to his stomach. Victory had been within reach. His fingertips practically brushed against the new world he had worked so hard to obtain, but all it took was two meddlesome children and a third legendary beast to destroy everything that he had worked so hard to achieve. 

An impatient sigh left his lips. His eyes were so adjusted to the darkness of the night that the light from his PokeNav proved to be a little too bright when he went to check the time. He quickly turned down the brightness on the device before groaning at the time. It was half past one in the morning. This was absolutely ridiculous. It had been Archie's plan to meet him here and apparently Maxie was stupid enough to trust his nemesis. Honestly, he deserved this as punishment for his own stupidity. He knew it was too good to be true when the leader of Team Aqua had approached him with a deal he couldn't refuse; an opportunity to escape the region in exchange for an alliance of the sort. The authorities had been too afraid to touch Team Aqua and Magma when they were at the height of their power, but now that the teams have been disbanded after their respective legendary beasts had been placed back into slumber, Archie Aogiri and Maxie Matsubusa, along with their admins, had been placed at the very top of Hoenn's most wanted list for "eco-terrorism" bullshit. 

It was nerve wracking, to say the least, being out in the open like this despite the fact that his black pea coat and matching pants kind of blend in with the night atmosphere. Maxie's signature coat, as well as other clothes that wore the Magma insignia had been reluctantly burned in an attempt to leave behind as little of a trail as possible. The only Magma related thing he owned now were two flashdrives that were tucked away safely inside a small locked box, and that locked box was hidden on the inside of the single suitcase he had brought for this trip. The trip that should have started half an hour ago.

Right as he was beginning to believe that this was all a hoax, that this was one last attempt for Archie to ruin his life, he saw the other's broad body approach the side of the building, seeming to be wary of the streetlights above head. The two apparently had similar ideas on tonight's fashion. A black jacket, dark pants, and even a stupid black bandanna was enough to help him blend in with the darkness that lied outside of the streetlights. In the streetlights, both of them looked incredibly suspicious. Who else met up wearing dark clothes in the middle of the night other than drug dealers and people who are about to go on a robbing spree, or in their cases, people on the run from police? 

"You know that I don't hold the strongest opinions of you," Maxie spat once the other was within easy listening range, "but I assumed that even you would be willing and able to keep to a very time restrictive schedule when our lives are on the line."

"You're actin' like a copper's gonna kill us on sight," Archie countered dully. It was hard to say whether his lack of normal enthusiasm was from the time of day or from the crushing defeat he had experienced not too long ago. Maxie didn't know, and frankly, he couldn't care less. He was miserable, but it did make him feel a little better knowing that Archie was miserable as well. 

"I cannot think of a reason why they shouldn't. We are Hoenn's most wanted at this point, and I would really appreciate it if we could get out of this damn region before we get caught," Maxie snapped. Archie merely waved him off. 

"Keep on talkin' like that an' I'm leaving without ya. I had some last minute Aqua things I hadta take care of before we left for good. It ain't like-wait, why the hell am I justifying this? I'm here now and that's all that matters." He turned on his heels and glanced over his shoulder before looking straight ahead. "I also went ahead and prepped up our escape boat. Your obnoxious ass is welcome for that. C'mon."

Archie began walking and Maxie was quick to follow, pulling his single suitcase along with him. He never would have thought that he would only have a single suitcase to his name, but here he was. It was almost poetic. The man almost had everything his heart desired and now he had absolutely nothing. No team, no admins, no Groudon, not even a full wardrobe of clothes. Instead, he had Archie. All of this felt like a fate worse than death. If Groudon was going to destroy the world, then Maxie would have happily went down with it if he knew that his life was going to turn into this in the aftermath of it all. 

Still, he silently followed behind his archenemy. He had little to no idea why Archie had established the deal to begin with. Was he afraid of something? Was he going to toss him out in the middle of the sea and then speed off in his boat? The latter seemed like the more likely option. Perhaps Maxie should have thought this plan through a little longer. It wasn't like him to make such an impulsive commitment without looking at all of the options, but then again, he no longer had the time to thoroughly think things out. At least, he didn't in the heat of the moment. With a sigh, Maxie adjusted his glasses. If he were to meet a watery demise, he would do everything in his power to take Archie down with him. 

After a short and silent trip, the duo had made it to a small dock on the very edge of the shore. Attached to the small dock was an equally small boat. Well, it wasn't the smallest boat in existence, but given Archie's love for water Maxie would have thought he would have something a little more extravagant than a mediocre fishing boat. It had about enough space for two, maybe three people. With practiced ease, Archie stepped off of the dock and into the interior of the boat. It didn't look hard, but then again, the only time Maxie had willingly stepped into an aquatic automobile was when he stole a submarine, but it was only a small price to pay in order to rid the world of its useless oceans. 

Maxie carefully tossed his luggage into the boat first. There was a short distance between the boat and the dock, so he didn't want to drag that thing along with him as he attempted to climb aboard. That was possibly the best decision he had made in a while. His first attempt of simply stepping onto the boat was futile due to his fear of losing his footing and falling into the chilly water below. He had stretched out a leg before withdrawing it.

"Stop lollygaggin' around and get in already. You're the one in the rush here," Archie said as he leaned against the dashboard.

"Shut up. I wouldn't be too thrilled about getting wet this early in this trip of ours, and since you clearly are unwilling to help me I'm going to take all the time I need." Archie merely rolled his eyes at those words. 

Having his condescending eyes placed on him made Maxie even more nervous. Like hell he was going to make a fool of himself right in front of Archie, but that seemed like the only choice he had here. Maxie let out a slow breath and stretched a leg out once again, making sure his foot was placed firmly in the boat before he pushed himself into the interior as gracefully as a drunken ballerina with a crushed foot. He tried to place his footing, but it was too late. He fell onto the cool and kind of damp floor, landing on his side. He quickly rolled over and pushed himself up on his elbows, shooting a cold glare over at Archie's snickering face. 

"Not a word," he warned. 

"Haven't said a damn one," the other man countered. As Maxie pushed himself onto his feet, Archis scooted past him and untied the boat from the dock. After coiling the rope, he dropped it onto the floor. There was no need in leaving any evidence behind that there was even a boat here, after all. Besides, the rope might come in handy. Without further adieu, Archie started the motor and began to sail off. 

For a moment, the only thing that Maxie could do was stand awkwardly in the center of the boat. His hands were tucked behind his back and his face was cold and uninviting, but on the inside he couldn't help but feel saddened. That feeling only grew as he watched the shores of Lilycove grow smaller and fainter with every passing second. Not only was this going to be the last time he saw wonderful land in a while, but it was also possibly the last time he would see the beautiful Hoenn region. This was possibly the last time he would see his beautiful home. 

His shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh. 

"Are ya gonna be a stupid looking drama queen for the next couple of days or are ya gonna have a seat?" Archie asked dryly, looking over his shoulder. Maxie shot him yet another glare. 

"Excuse me for taking in the sight of Hoenn one last time. If I knew you were going to be personally offended by it, well, my actions most definitely would not have changed," he countered and Archie scoffed.

The interior of the boat wasn't the most inviting thing in the world. The seats were more like benches that had locks on the side of them. Maxie assumed that they were storage units. He didn't have the first idea what would be in them, if anything, but he may do a little bit of snooping when Archie eventually goes to sleep, whenever that may be. For the time being, he brushed off an area near the center of the boat and sat down. He kept his arms crossed in front of his chest as he stared in the corner of the boat. He couldn't see Archie and he couldn't see the water. That one area of nothing but empty space may be his ticket for staying sane on this trip. 

The time passed by silently and slowly. Archie was focused on the water in front of him and for once in his life, Maxie didn't feel like interfering with his plans. Archie knew the seas better than he did. Maxie had no idea how easy it was to get off coarse, so he wasn't about to risk anything by further provoking the man with his sharp and cold words. 

Lilycove, along with the rest of Hoenn, was soon out of sight and Maxie couldn't help but slightly curl in on himself. His peripheral vision told him that they were now fully surrounded by water, but he continued to keep his focus on the small corner in the front of the boat and block out everything else. However, he couldn't help but look up when he saw Archie move and heard the motor stop. The boat lost its speed, quickly coming to a stop in the middle of who knows where. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Maxie asked calmly, surprised that only a small amount of panic had been mixed in with his tone. 

"Turnin' off the motor," Archie replied simply and turned his attention back to the water in front of him. Maxie pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled deeply to prevent himself from throwing the man overboard. 

"I can see that," he said impatiently. "Why did you turn off the motor?"

"To save on fuel. What? Did you expect me to keep that thing running during the entire trip? I gotta say, I thought you were smarter than that, but hey, I'm glad I'm wrong if that's the case." Archie leaned back against the dash and crossed his arms over his chest. While it was small, there was an amused grin on his face. Maxie was repulsed. 

"I knew that we were going to have to kill the motor eventually, but I simply didn't think that it was going to be so soon."

"It was actually going to be sooner, but I wasn't trusting the currents back there. I wanted to make sure that we got out of immediate Hoenn waters as quickly as we could. Now that we're out of there, we'll be set for a while. The currents are good, the night's clear, it's really the perfect night for a getaway. It's almost like Rayquayza is being nice to us after fucking us over."

That one name was enough to make Maxie's blood boil in ways that he thought only Archie's name could. He tensed up, turning his attention from Archie back to his corner of the boat. "With our luck, as soon as land is within sight the boat will capsize. It will be like the creature cut us a break just to pull the rug out from under our feet one last time." 

"That's your luck, and I refuse to go down with you." Archie locked the wheel in place and then looked up at the clear night sky. Without the lights of the city, millions of bright stars filled the night sky. "Besides, even if the boat capsizes, which is won't, I have backups. Speaking of which..." He pulled a Pokeball from his belt and tossed it above Maxie's head. Sharpedo popped out and landed into the water with a splash, some of it hitting Maxie. It would have hit him even more if he weren't in the center of the boat. Still, he man made a loud and aggravated groan and tried to shake off some of the water from his clothes. Archie grinned at the display. 

The only thing that they could see was Sharpedo's top fin. The siding of the boat was too high up for the rest of the Pokemon to be seen. To make up for this, Archie sat on the side and reached out to give the Sharpedo a pat. "Explore a bit an' see if there's any trouble. Take care of it if ya can, but come back to give us a warning if it's too much," Archie gently instructed and watched as the Pokemon submerged himself in the water and sped off ahead.

Maxie found that getting the water off of his clothes was going to be futile, so he crossed his arms again, this time frustrated and tense. "I understand why you killed the motor, but you have that blasted Sharpedo. He would be able to pull the boat and we would make it to land much faster."

"That would be like asking your Camerupt to walk from one side of Hoenn to the next with a heavy wagon on his back. It would wear the poor thing out real quick. Sharpedo has a job to do anyway. If there's any unseen trouble in the water, he'll take care of it."

A moment of silence fell between the two. Maxie's gaze reverted back to his corner and Archie stared out to the sea. Maxie would have considered him lost in thought, but that would mean Archie has a brain in that head of his and Maxie wasn't ready to accept that as fact just yet. The gentle sounds of the ocean, the smell of salt in the air, and the rocking of the boat, all of it was starting to get to Maxie. The feeling of being surrounded by the things he hated most in the world was crushing. He hugged himself tightly, unable to think of a better way to help calm himself. Even when he heard the sound of Archie's voice again, he refused to look away from his small corner. 

"Before we hit a crossroads, I need to know where to go," Archie stated and moved to sit on the side of the boat in a more comfortable position. "We have two options and both have their pros and cons. Sinnoh and Kalos are the regions I'm considering. Sinnoh is closer and there has been talk of an organization like Aqua and Magma forming in that region. That could be good for us because the coppers will be focus more of their time on the group in their own backyard than us, but it could also be bad for us since there will probably be an increase in copper activity and someone might recognize us."

Archie had put some thought int this, that's for sure. Maxie nodded along to his words to show that he was listening as the other man continued. "On the flip side, Kalos is further away but it's relatively peaceful. The coppers there ain't too bad, so as long as we blend in with the crowd, we'll be fine. No one would probably think to look for us there anyway."

"What about the other regions?"

Archie shook his head. "Kanto and Johto are off limits. I ain't about to tackle the harsh Johto waters in a boat like this. It's too risky. Same could be said for Kanto. As much as I would like to go to Alola, that would be the first place for the coppers to think to look for me if they found out I was out of the region. Unova is too far away and kinda difficult to get to on boat since it's mainly surrounded by land. It's easier to get there on plane or something stupid like that. So, Sinnoh and Kalos are left. Take your pick. I don't really care either way."

Maxie hummed as he thought. They both had their ups and downs. Whatever decision was made could make or break them, so everything had to be considered. However, there was one factor that held a little more importance than anything else. "Estimated, how long would it be to get to each of the regions?"

"As long as the waters stay calm, we might be able to reach Sinnoh in three or for days. Kalos could take a little over a week."

Those were words that hurt Maxie to hear. Being out in the open water for an hour was bad enough. He had no idea how he would possibly survive a week. "I believe that as long as we blend in with the crowd, the organization forming in Sinnoh will occupy their attention enough for us. My vote goes toward Sinnoh."

"I figured it was," Archie mumbled and idly tossed Sharpedo's now empty Pokeball up and down in his hand. "But if ya did surprise me, then I would'a been prepared for a trip to Kalos as well. There's enough food in that storage bin you're bony ass is sittin' on to last three weeks."

Instead of getting up to see for himself, Maxie simply nodded. "Most of it will end up in your gullet as opposed to mine, but I appreciate the information."

Another silence fell over to two, this time feeling much longer than the last. For once, Maxie wanted to hear Archie's obnoxious banter and torments. It would take his mind off of the sounds of the inescapable ocean. It looked like Archie wasn't going to be that merciful on him though. It was like the man knew and acted on every single thing that pushed Maxie's buttons. Maxie had half a mind to speak up and break the silence himself, but he had absolutely no idea what he could talk about. His mind was tired and he wasn't great at social interactions to begin with. Fortunately though, Archie coughed and spoke up first once again. 

"You can't stand this, can ya? Bein' on this cramped boat with me an' all."

"Oh stars, I wonder where you received an idea like that," Maxie spat and Archie rolled his eyes. 

"Whatever. Look. I hate you, but I'm also gonna be stuck with ya for a while. I don't want ya going insane on me just yet." Maxie had no idea where this was going, so he couldn't help but look up at the man as he continued to speak. Archie didn't meet his gaze. "Camerupt's too big and heavy for the boat. We would sink immediately. Mightyena though...as long as you don't have him attack me, aka, the guy who knows how to navigate through the waters to get back on land, I'm okay with him being out to keep ya company."

Maxie didn't even hesitate. He pulled out Mightyena's Pokeball and allowed the Pokemon to pop out. At first the Pokemon looked incredibly confused due to the new and strange surrounding, but once he caught sight of Archie he immediately snapped out of it and went into attack mode. He bared his teeth, flaunting off his sharp white fangs and let out a low and threatening growl. Archie didn't seem fazed by it. As much as Maxie wanted to let his Pokemon attack the man, he also didn't want to be stranded on the boat any longer than he needed to be. He would wait until they were back on land until he tried anything funny. 

Maxie reached out and gave Mightyena gentle pats to help calm him down. "It's okay, dear. The brute is friendly right now. Don't attack him." Mightyena looked over at his owner curiously, almost as if he was making sure that the man sitting before him was his owner and not a replacement of some sort. Mightyena did calm down after his owner stroked his fur for a little while longer. He hopped up on the bench and rested his head on his owner's lap while keeping a wary eye on Archie. Already, Maxie felt a little bit better as he continued to pet Mightyena's head. He wanted nothing more than to hug the Pokemon and bury his face in his warm fur to block out the world for a while, but he had to keep his composure. He refused to let Archie see how mentally unsteady he was becoming.

As much as he didn't want to show it, Archie deserved a little appreciation. "Don't let this go to your head...but thanks," Maxie mumbled and turned his head away from the man so he couldn't see what his nonverbal response to that was. 

"Don't mention it," he replied passively. "Now go ta sleep or somethin'. I got things to do an' it'll pass the time more quickly on your side of things."

"What on earth could you possible be busy doing here?" Maxie scoffed, turning his head to look at the man again when he saw him move from the siding to one of the storage units on the other side of the small boat. He pulled a keyring out of his pocket. While it didn't look like a janitor's keyring, it did have maybe six of seven different keys attached it it. He wrapped his fingers around a small silver one in the center, letting the rest clink against each other as they slid away and down the keyring. He opened the storage unit, pulled out a folded paper, and then locked it once again before sitting down on the top. 

"Geography homework." He crossed his legs and unfolded the paper. Maxie could only see the blank side of the paper, but he assumed there was a map of some sort on the other side. If he had to guess, Archie was studying out the Sinnoh region. Maxie wanted to say something snarky, but stopped the words from coming out of his mouth. He would leave the man to his work. 

Not knowing what else to do, Maxie gingerly moved Mightyena's head as he laid down on the bench. It wasn't the slightest bit comfortable, but it was better than propping himself up against the side of the boat where he had the possibility of falling overboard. Mightyena was quick to climb on top of his owner and serve as a blanket. The warmth of the Pokemon was very much appreciated, and Maxie made sure to show him the appreciation by rubbing his back. He took off his glasses and placed them on the collar of his shirt. 

Sleep definitely didn't come easy. Not only were there so many things running through his mind, but he was also unnerved by the constant movement of the boat along with the uncomfortable bench. This wasn't a good sleeping environment, to say the least. However, after probably an hour or so, his exhausted mind finally allowed him to drift off into slumber. A dreamless sleep was certainly better than being aware of his inescapable surroundings, that's for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading! I'll have chapter two posted soon! I will try to keep a regular update schedule, but who am I kidding? I'm a college kid and I barely know what day it is half the time. Still, I hope you enjoy and I look forward to publishing the next chapter!!  
> You can also check out my blog authorazumarill.tumblr.com to leave a comment/question/concern/ or if you just wanna talk.
> 
> Next time: Nothing to see, nothing to do, but maybe a Gyarados will cure a bored man's blues.


	2. Territorial Terror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a game of Bullshit, some actual bullshit happens.
> 
> Also, thanks a ton to cancerreborn.tumblr.com for the art!

The glare from cold green eyes were locked against the opposing deep blue, almost as if the first one who looked away lost the silent stand off. Maxie scowled as the hint of a grin tugged at the corner of Archie's lips.

"You can go on and admit ya ain't cut out for this game," Archie teased, forcing Maxie's scowl to deepen.

"I'll have you know that this will be the round that you are obliterated. I refuse to lose to a brute like you again," he hissed, daring not to advert his gaze from Archie's eyes for even a second.

"We'll see 'bout that," the other man hummed and broke his gaze not out of intimidation, but out of necessity. He pulled three cards out of his hand and placed them face down on the growing of the red backed cards pile sitting between them. "Three kings."

Archie had given him a challenging look while Maxie looked through the cards in his hand. He had a king, but it was possibly that two kings have already been played. The pile sitting between them had to have been every bit of thirty cards high. The other two rounds were still fresh in his head. It was hard to say whether he had placed two kings in the deck during this round or if it was the last round. No, it definitely had to have been this round.

"Bullshit or pass, Maxie."

"You're bullshitting me. Now have fun trying to get rid of that pile," Maxie stated victoriously, straightening his back up a little with pride. He had bested the former Aqua leader, and the look of disappointment in Archie's face gave him the confirmation he needed.

"Y'know, it's really hard to pull the wool over your eyes," Archie sighed out and flipped the three top cards, each one revealing a different king. As Maxie's face slowly dropped in realization, Archie's lit up. "But it's also not impossible!" Archie laughed loudly as Maxie pressed the palms of his hands against the side of his head in disbelief.

"What?! No! You could not have had three kings. You must have cheated!"

"Oh, where's my sore loser bingo card when I need it?" Archie cackled. He took the pile of cards into his hand and held them out for Maxie to take just to make the miserable man's life a little easier. Maxie brushed some of the hair out of his face and then swatted Archie's hand away.

"Don't give me that."

"So what I'm hearing is that the great Maxie forfeits?"

"Absolutely not! What you're hearing is that I refuse to continue a rigged game."

 

"Oh sweet Arceus," Archie groaned and threw his head back in exasperation. "You said that 'bout the last two rounds. You were the one who wanted to play cards, you shuffled the deck, so there is absolutely no way that I could'a rigged this."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Without fail, you always find some way to screw me over in the end." Maxie pointed an accusatory finger toward Archie. The man scoffed and rolled his eyes. He thought that victory would be sweet, and it still was but he could really go without Maxie's sour attitude right now.

"I think you forgot that I'm the one who saved your sorry ass from the coppers in Hoenn. You would'a probably been caught by now if it weren't for me."

Now it was Maxie's turn to roll his eyes. "Please, I would have gotten along just fine without you. In fact, I'm beginning to believe that I should have planned things out a little more carefully before making that hasty decision to tag along with a brute like you. I could have escaped the authorities just fine on my own."

Out of frustration, Maxie placed his hand of cards down on top of the pile and crossed his arms over his chest. In order to cover up his childish temperament, Maxie liked to think that this was Archie's doing. He was always calm and collected, but for some reason Archie just had to bring out the worst in him. He loathed the man so much and the cold glare directed toward him made that very apparent. Archie, however, didn't seem too fazed by it.

"I would've loved to see that," Archie scoffed.

"You probably would have, but let's not forget that you were the one who invited me to escape on this dinky little bath toy for reasons that still remain rather unknown to me."

"I told ya. Y'know that I have Magma secrets you wouldn't want any of the investigators to find and I know you have Aqua secrets I definitely don't want the coppers to find. Our teams went down fighting, but the information both of us have are still valuable. It's a fair trade off. I won't spill Magma secrets and you won't spill Aqua secrets if both of us are stuck with each other. Easy as that." Since it looked like their card game was over with, Archie gathered up the well worn cards and straightened the deck before tying a rubber band around it.

"I'm sure that your goons praise you as a high martyr in that case," Maxie huffed. He was about the bring to attention the fact that all Archie had to do was throw him overboard and everything would be settled, but if Archie hadn't thought of it then Maxie certainly didn't want to put that thought in his head. If he has had that thought, then the question as to why he hasn't thrown him overboard yet arises.

"They pity me, that's for sure," Archie replied coolly and stood up. He opened up one of the storage bins to the side and dropped the deck of cards in it before locking it again. The sun was high in the sky and he was feeling pretty tired at this point. The night was peaceful when Maxie was asleep, but now the day had turned exhausting since he was awake and grumpy. Sleeping did sound like a good way to pass the time and to get out of looking at Maxie's stupid face, but being the sole navigator of the boat, Archie couldn't risk them going off coarse. He could definitely get them back on the right track if something were to happen, but it would be a set back. As much as he loved the sea and sailing, he couldn't wait to get back on land just so he would be able to get some space between him and Maxie. He had no idea how the Magma admins dealt with him all the time.

Since they were both getting pretty tired of looking at one another, Archie was the first one to turn his attention to something else. In this case, it was the vast sea in front of him. He leaned against the dashboard and stared thoughtfully into the gentle blue waves. The light from the bright sun glistened against the water. It was really hard to believe that only a few mere weeks ago these beautiful waves were dark and devastating. His utopian dreams vanished when he saw only an ounce of primal Kyorge's true powers. The authorities had every right to never let him see the light of day again. The thought of turning himself in has crossed his mind, but that would be cruel to his team. It was one thing for the captain to go down with the ship, but it was another thing to force the crew down with him. The authorities would want names and records, and Archie would rather have Groudon stomp on him than hand that information over.

After a long silence, Archie was kind of annoyed to hear Maxie's voice take him out of his thoughts. "So what will we do once we reach Sinnoh?"

Archie simply shrugged before giving his answer. "Wing it, mainly. Find a home base, blend in with the crowd, then we can see where we need to go from there. Maybe once the news settles surrounding us in Hoenn we might even be able to take it easy for a while."

"That's how people get caught. We can't let our guard down too much," Maxie pointed out and ruffled Mightyena's thick fur on his back.

"That's just a given. I don't plan on living the rest of my life in fear though. Things will die down. Once they do, we can breathe easy again. Right now it's like we're goin' through a raging sea. Once it-"

"I'm stopping you there," Maxie interrupted. "I understand what you mean. There is no reason to bring a stupid ocean metaphor into this conversation."

"Fuck off."

Silence fell between the two once again. It was by no means a comfortable silence, but they both seemed to be okay with that, therefore making them comfortable with the uncomfortable and making things that shouldn't be complicated complicated like the stubborn assholes they are. Once again, it was Maxie who broke this silence, but his tone had changed. It wasn't warm, but it also wasn't freezing cold either. It was neutral, if anything.

"How much do you know about Sinnoh's geography? I'm...admittedly a little rusty on regions outside of Hoenn." That sparked Archie's interest. He turned to look at the man once again, this time resting his back against the dash.

"I know enough to get us by. I went to Canalave a few times when I was kid and that's the area I'm most familiar with. It's a sailor's town, but I didn't get to do any of the fun stuff since I was, what, ten? Maybe eleven? Something like that. It's probably changed a lot since I was last there, but probably not enough to raise concern."

Although Maxie's face was still cold, he seemed somewhat interested in Archie's words. "So it would be safe to say that's where we're headed, correct? Canalave City, that is."

Archie nodded. "Yeah. It's the easiest place to dock, and it's the closest as well. Just be careful with the locals while we're there. They were crazy back when me and Shelly explored the city while our folks dealt with all of the trading business."

"How so?"

"They were just really superstitious. There was this one guy we met in a Pokemon Center that tried to tell us there was some kind of creature putting people in endless nightmares throughout the city, but I think he was just tryin' to scare two Hoenn kids who wouldn't know any different. We didn't believe him, of course, but almost everyone had these carried around these green wings that were supposed to protect them from any evil spirits or bullshit like that," Archie explained and waved off that rubbish. "Maybe that's just the people in Canalave though. I dunno for sure."

"I've read that the people in Sinnoh are very connected with their mythology. Considering that we have seen two legendary beasts that were merely rumored to exist, I won't say whether or not I find their superstitions justified. Still...green wings do sound like a stretch." Mgihtyena's ears twitched and he raised his head from his owner's lap. Maxie looked down at the Pokemon for a moment before shrugging it off as nothing.

"If worst comes to worst, we could probably make a fortune scamming people," Archie snickered and watched as Mightyena jumped off of the bench and stared out to the sea.

"Perhaps. I've also heard that we're in for a climate shift," Maxie stated and Archie nodded.

"Yep. Unlike Hoenn's endless summer, Sinnoh has actual seasons. I've seen all of them but winter, and honestly, Spring and Fall are pretty nice. It's the beginning to fall, so it won't be too cold when we reach land. The trees might be changing color though."

"It would be a nice change in scenery." Maxie would have appreciated seasons more if he was simply visiting another region with the intention of going back to Hoenn. He was holding strong now, but he knew that Hoenn was his home and he was going to miss it dearly, especially when Winter hits. He has never seen snow and frankly, he has no desire to see it before he is placed six feet under.

"The thing I'm looking forward to the most is gettin' into a sailor's bar. Sailors are very gossipy, so hopefully I can see if there's a Hoenn sailor or two I can chat up with 'nd see how the hunt for us is going."

That...was a halfway decent idea. Maxie wasn't going to admit it out loud, but he also wasn't going to protest and that should be good enough for Archie. However, he could already see a major flaw in this plan. "You know, you would have to change your appearance before you even consider being seen by strangers. Not only is your beard an identifier, but not everyone has a giant scar in the shape of an X on their face either."

Archie unconsciously stroked his beard as he was called out. "What about it?"

"Isn't it obvious? If we're not going to get caught, we can't be recognizable. The best thing for you to do is shave your beard and cover your scar with makeup." Archie's eyes narrowed at the suggestion, but Maxie didn't falter. "If we're going to do this, we must do everything by the book."

"No one would suspect that I would keep my beard and my scar though. That's the beauty of hiding in plain sight."

"Everyone would expect you to be that stupid to follow an idea like that though, which is why you can do it."

"Oh really now. And what are you going to do to disguise your stupid face?" Archie huffed and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"I will admit, it will be hard to disguise a beautiful face like mine-" Archie scoffed "-shut up, but I believe it's doable. I have contacts, after all." Maxie took off his glasses and pulled his hair back.

"Oh no. No no no." Archie shook his head. "You are not pullin' a stupid Clark Kent disguise while tellin' me that I gotta shave my beard."

"It's worked for Clark Kent."

"Shut up." Maxie considered that as a win. "Point is, you gotta change it up too. Either cut your hair, dye it, or both."

Maxie was appalled. "Absolutely not! There are plenty of red heads in the world."

"But you're also the only red head on Hoenn's most wanted. Listen. I'm not doing shit if you ain't gonna do shit."

Maxie hated that he had a point, but at the same time, he really hoped that Archie wouldn't go through with it so he could keep his beautiful red locks. The same could be said from Archie's side of things.

"Fine," he finally agreed, reluctantly. "When we reach land I'll stop by the closest PokeMart and pick some things up. I don't want you seen until we cover up that scar. After I get the supplies, the change will be immediate. Fair deal?"

It was fair, but it also wasn't a fun deal. "Deal."

"Good. Hm?" Maxie looked over toward Mightyena. The Pokemon had been quiet ever since he was released from his Pokeball, but now he was barking up a storm. He feared that it was barking at Archie, but once he turned his head he saw that he was barking out at sea. He wanted to say that being surrounded by the water was as mentally breaking for Mightyena as it was for him, but he knew better than to suspect that.

Archie pushed himself off of the dash and moved to the side of the boat to see if he could get a better look. "Whaddya see, boy?" Archie shielded his eyes from the sun's rays with his hand to get a better look. There was definitely more activity in the water.

Maxie had stood up as well, but remained in the safety of the center of the boat. While Archie and Mightyena were busy looking at the sea, his attention had turned upward. His eyes widened and he let out a gasp. "Archie!"

Archie whipped his head around to look at Maxie, but before he could ask what he had seen he saw the dark blue body of his beloved Sharpedo fly right over their heads and splash down into the water on the other side of the boat. All three parties had gotten wet from the splash. The boat rocked with the rippling waves. "Sharpedo!" Archie called out. Only a split second later, Sharpedo had bobbed up to his side. He was injured and yapped in distress. Archie reached out and patted his head in an attempt to calm the creature. Something strong must be out there if it was able to launch Sharpedo from the water. Archie had a feeling as to what it was, but his fears were confirmed when he saw the long neck and menacing face of a Gyarados off in the distance, right in the path they were going.

"Shit," he groaned. Without wasting any time, he moved from the side and back to his storage units.

"Archie, what's going on? What's out there?" Maxie demanded.

"An angry Gyarados, that's what. We must be in its territory or something." He reached in the unit and pulled out two Pokeballs and tossed them over the side of the boat. A mighty Gyarados of his own and a stunning Milotic popped out, causing the boat to rock even more. Maxie grabbed onto the dash like his life depended on it, and it kind of did.

"Go and take that Gyarados down 'nd any friends he may have. You know how to do it," Archie ordered and pointed at the threat. The two Pokemon made a noise of confirmation and then dove under water. Sharpedo was getting ready to go as well, but Archie reached out and grabbed his fun to stop him. "Not you. Stay close by and make sure nothing gets close to the boat. We can't afford to let this capsize." Sharpedo seemed to understand and ducked under water, but his top fin was still able to be seen above water. For once, seeing a Sharpedo fin circle around a boat was a good thing. The fin soon ducked under the water. Maxie could feel his heart pound against his chest.

"You're not going to turn on the motor and get us away from here?" he asked with shock.

"And have a Gyarados chase us? I don't think so. We're fine right here."

Right as he said that, something bumped into the boat, causing it rock around violently. Archie grabbed onto the siding. Mightyena, however, was knocked to the side.

"Dearie, it's okay," Maxie said to the frightened Pokemon, but his voice was full of nerves. He took one hand off of the dash to grab Mightyena's Pokeball when another bump hit the boat, more forceful this time than the last. Maxie had lost his grip on the dash and tumbled to the side, quickly grabbing onto the railing before he was thrown overboard. However, his grip wasn't reliable.

Another bump, and this time Archie had to throw out Muk add the much needed weight in order to keep the boat from turning over. Maxie tried to hold on, but the force was too great. He went over the railing with a shout, but quickly covered his mouth a few seconds after his body was submerged in the water. He could clearly see what the threat was now. A pack of Huntail were the cause of all their grief. Maxie could see three, maybe four. His eyes widened and what little air he had in his lungs left his mouth in the form of air bubbles as he watched one Huntail speed right toward him, sharp teeth bared and ready to attack.

Mightyena barked over the railing and then turned his attention to Archie. He growled at the man and bit down on his arm, causing him to shout in pain before he managed to shake the Pokemon off. "The fuck you doing?!" In response, Mightyena frantically barked. Archie looked over and saw the severe lack of a red head. Welp. Sucks to be him.

It was never Archie's plan to throw Maxie overboard, but if the man really wanted to live, he would find a way to get back on the boat. However, Archie did have a very angry Mightyena barking at him. Ugh. He was going to have to save Maxie's sorry ass, huh?

Without much hesitation, Archie jumped over the railing and splashed down in the water. Blood danced in the waves and for a brief moment Archie was really hopeful that he would no longer have to deal with Maxie, but that wasn't the case. Maxie was rather motionless. His body was tense as his arms shielded his head and upper body. His head was turned away and his eyes were shut tight. Only a few feet away from them, Sharpedo dropped the limp body of a Huntail, blood drifting up into the water as the Pokemon fell into the water.

Without wasting much more time, Archie swam toward Maxie and grabbed onto his arm. He saw the other's eyes snap open at the touch. It only took a matter of seconds for Archie to swim to the surface as Sharpedo attacked a Huntail that was so close to lunging for his ankles.

They both took a deep breath once they broke surface. Archie kept a firm grip around Maxie's upper back while Maxie had moved to wrap his arms around Archie's shoulders. His glasses were askew and impossible to see out of, his hair clung to his head, and it was really hard to breathe while he coughed up water. At least he wasn't in need of mouth to mouth, Archie thought.

Maxie had mumbled something, but it was impossible to make out what he said. Something about a boat, which Archie assumed was the place he wanted to get back on. Without wasting another moment, Archie swam toward the boat, but suddenly stopped before being forcefully dragged back under water. Seeing the threat of being dragged down, Maxie released Archie and sincerely hoped that if he splashed around enough he would be able to propel himself forward and make it to the boat.

That plan was ultimately ruined when sharp fangs crunched down on his ankle. He let out another shout, but this time water immediately entered his mouth as he was quickly dragged down. He wasn't even able to cover his mouth with his hands this time. As if having the sharp fangs of a Huntail dig painfully deeper and deeper into his skin, another Huntail quickly wrapped its snake-like body around Maxie's waist, promptly pinning his arms to his sides as the Pokemon's constriction grew tighter and tighter. What little air he had left in his lungs didn't stay in there for long. His vision grew blurrier and darker. His body refused to move anymore. His struggling had stopped, much to the Huntail's delight.

A Huntail had managed to wrap the end of its tail around Archie's leg, but that was the last mistake the Huntail ever made. As much as Archie loved water types, he also loved being alive. Certain sacrifices had to be made. He swiftly kicked the Huntail with his free leg, causing it to loosen its grip on him. He easily snaked his way out of the coiled body and was fully ready to fight fist to tail, but Sharpedo quickly sped over and finished the job for him.

Archie's eyes widened when he looked up and saw Maxie's predicament. The man looked like he was nothing more than Huntail food at this point, and that enraged Archie like he never knew. He has always threatened to turn the man into Sharpedo food, not Huntail food. Almost with the speed of a Sharpedo, Archie swam over and punched the head of the Huntail with its mouth around his foot. Its whipped its tail across Archie's back, causing the man to slam into his unconscious foe as well as the Huntail wrapped around his body. Archie was able to regain himself and push Maxie away before the Huntail could constrict his body as well. It eyed him up though, but it received a hard punch to get it to knock it off.

Sharpedo had soon rushed over to his side, gently grazing his arm to alert Archie of his presence before swooping low to take care of the Huntail still clinging to Maxie's leg. The Pokemon around his torso quickly released its prey and swam away, unwilling to suffer the same fate as the others.

Once the Huntail was taken off of Maxie's ankle, Archie grabbed the man by his waist and hoisted him up to the surface. Archie was quick to take a deep breath of the water, but Maxie didn't so much as sputter. His head lolled to the side as Archie got a better grip on the man. "Fucking dammit," he grumbled as he swam to the boat, uninterrupted this time.

Mightyena was still barking in desperation. When Archie had made it to the side of the boat, the Pokemon, leaned over and bit down on the back of Maxie's jacket collar to help hoist him up to the boat. Archie shoved him up and Mightyena pulled him into the center of the boat. After getting a firm grip on the railing, Archie pulled himself up. His wet clothes clung to his skin, making him really regret the fact that he destroyed his awesome wet suit, but oh well. He quickly called Muk back into his Pokeball and then knelt down by Maxie's side. Mightyena licked his owner's cheek to get him to wake up with a few soft whimpers. It was a sad sight to see, even for an enemy, but Archie didn't let that deter him.

"Gimme some space," he ordered and received a growl in response, but ultimately the Pokemon backed off and waited patiently, staring at his owner.

Archie tilted Maxie's head back and pressed his fingers against his neck. He always thought that the day he had his hands around Maxie's neck was the day he finally strangled the man, but that was quite opposite of the case right now. There was still a pulse, a weak one, but it still got a sigh out of Archie. He placed one hand over the other's rather frail chest and then his other hand over that one, rhythmically and forcefully pressing down into his chest while the beat to a Combee Gees song played in his head.

Without much luck, Archie grew desperate. His pumps were probably more forceful than they should have been. "If there was thing that's gonna kill ya, it's gonna be me, not some useless Huntail. Wake. The. Fuck. Up!" Nothing. Archie bit the bottom of his lip and then let out a long sigh. He was gonna have to do it, now wasn't he?

He tilted Maxie's head back and plugged his nose. He was too busy bracing himself to hear the small cough that escaped Maxie's lips. When Archie's lips were mere centimeters from Maxie's, the man coughed again, louder this time water was spat out. Archie immediately backed away and wiped the gross water (he'll apologize for that mental insult later) off of his face. Maxie sputtered again, this time his eyes halfway opened and then closed again as his coughing fit grew more intense. He rolled over to his side as water was coughed up, and based on how bad he sounded Archie wouldn't have been surprised if his lung flopped down on the deck as well.

Slowly, Maxie pushed himself up into a sitting position as Mightyena pounced to his side. The man still looked to be in pain and rather disoriented, but he did crack the faintest of smiles when he felt Mightyena lick his cheek. "I'm okay...I'm okay..." he sputtered, getting what was hopefully the last of the water out of his lungs before looking up at Archie. It was hard to read Maxie's face, but Archie knew the man wasn't happy.

"Just take it easy, a'ight," Archie instructed and then turned his attention back out to the sea. Two figures were coming closer to the boat and both of them were familiar, and apparently triumphant, faces. Archie smiled brightly at the both Gyarados and Milotic as they swam back to the boat and leaned in to receive Archie's affectionate pats. "Good job you two. That Gyarados didn't stand a damn chance!" Archie would be sure to give them some treats later, but for now he simply returned them to their Pokeballs.

Archie unlocked the storage unit once more, this time putting out a max potion. "I'll be right back," he said and looked over to Maxie, catching a glimpse of his confused face before hopping over the side of the boat. Sharpedo had fought hard, so now he earned plenty of love. Archie praised the life out of his Pokemon as he healed the poor thing up. Within a matter of seconds, Sharpedo yapped and looked like his energetic self again. He would be sure to give the Pokemon plenty of treats and playtime later, but once he had finished up his praises, Archie climbed back on the boat, only to meet Maxie's eyes. He had expected to be met with a glare, but instead, there was a look of fear in his eyes. His glasses rested on the top of his head as part of his face was pressed up against Mightyena's fur.

"Shut up," Maxie barked and Archie raised his hands in the air defensively.

"Didn't say a damn thing."

The best thing to do was to give Maxie some space while he calmed down, and Archie did that by looking out at sea for a few moments before grabbing a towel from the storage unit. He tossed it over to Maxie and the man looked up in surprise. "Don't want ya catchin' a cold on me. You complain enough." Archie shrugged since that was the best thing he could come up with on such a short notice.

After wordlessly staring at him for a moment, Maxie pulled his jacket off of his frame, revealing a red, long sleeve shirt underneath, and wrapped the towel tightly around himself while Mightyena went back to giving him a few comforting licks. "Just...give me a moment," he mumbled and Archie nodded.

The moment felt like eternity. Archie had moved to the dash to give Maxie some space and kept his eyes fixated on the sea. He couldn't see Sharpedo's top fin anywhere, so he only assumed the Pokemon was having the feast of kings right now. Finally, when he heard movement, he turned his head to see that Maxie had scooted himself up onto one of the benches. He winced in pain as he pulled his pants leg up to examine his Huntail bite.

"Y'know what they say about Huntail bites, right?" Archie started as he dug around and found one of his first aid kits. Well, it wasn't really a first aid kit. It was just a box that had a single roll of wrappable bandages. Like Archie ever needed first aid. Pfft.

"They're poisonous and I'll die in a matter of minutes? It would be a nice alternative compared to your future taunts about this moment."

"Oh you wish. I was just gonna say you'll turn into a Huntail now, but only on full moons," he joked, but Maxie shot him a look to stop being stupid. Despite Maxie's rude glare, Archie knelt down and was about to bandage up his ankle, but Maxie drew it back.

"You don't need to do that."

"I don't want ya bleedin' all over my boat," Archie countered. He wasn't in the mood to verbally fight, so he grabbed onto Maxie's calf and straightened out his leg. Maxie let out a yelp and struggled a bit before eventually giving up and allowed Archie to bandage up his wound. "How much does it hurt? Honest answer. Don't give me whatever tough guy mumbo jumbo you're thinking."

Maxie opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and let out a defeated sigh. "If that Huntail bit it clean off it would probably hurt less. It's not like I'll be on it for the next two or so days, so I'll be fine."

Once Archie had finished, he tossed the remainder of the bandages in the open storage unit and turned his attention to the sea once again. Maxie clearly didn't want to talk about what happened and Archie wasn't going to make him.

"Archie?" Maxie's voice was quiet, hesitant even. Archie glanced over at him with a questioning hum. Green eyes met blue before they turned away. "Why...why did you save me?"

That was a really good question. It was one that Archie should have expected, but still didn't know the answer to. He let it mull over in his mind for a moment before smirking. "If there's one thing in the world that's gonna kill ya, it's gonna be me on my terms. It didn't feel right to let a bunch of Huntail snack on ya, especially since they were really just there to protect the Gyarados that was swimmin' around. They have a really weird relationship, kinda like Mantines and Remoraids."

Surprisingly enough, that made Maxie crack a smile. "I beg to differ. I believe that I'm going to be the death of you before you even have the chance to be the death of me."

"We'll see 'bout that."

Another silence fell, and once again, Maxie was the one to break it.

"Thanks."

Archie was quiet for a moment but answered nonetheless. "No problem," Archie waved off. "Just don't think I'm some kinda softie. I don't need Matt and Shelly knowing that I save your life or anything."

"The same could be said for Courtney and Tabitha." Maxie tugged his towel a little closer to his frame and leaned into Mightyena's warm fur. For the first time, the silence the fell between them now was comfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I didn't expect to get this chapter finished so soon but here we are. I was super motivated to do it instead of my piling amounts of homework, but it's all chill. If you ever want to chat or catch a few ramblings about this fic, check out oh-how-the-mighty-fall-fic.tumblr.com ! As of 10/9/18, it is still under construction so please bare with me as I get everything set up, but it's there for anyone curious enough to check it out! I'll be posting updates there soon.
> 
> Also for those of you who don't know how to play Bullshit, basically, it's a game about calling bullshit. You start with seven cards and can place up to four cards down at a time. You have to say what you're putting down and the other player has to call your bluff or stay quiet if you're not bluffing. For example, if I say I place two aces down and I place two aces down, then the wise choice would be for the other player to stay quiet or else they'll get those cards and the cards in the pile. If I say I play two aces and I put down two kings instead, if the other players calls my bluff then I get the pile of cards but if they keep quiet, the cards stay in the pile. The person who gets rid of all of their cards first is the winner. It's a really fun game that everyone needs to play :D
> 
> Here's a link to the blog if you wanna talk or leave a question authorazumarill.tumblr.com
> 
> Next time: They finally get off the damn boat.


	3. The Grass Whistle Motel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order for things to get better, changes have to be made whether Archie and Maxie like it or not. Here's a hint; they don't like it.

After being exposed to the salty air and the endless ocean for days on end, Maxie was beginning to seriously regret not throwing those children into the top of Mt. Chimney when he had the golden opportunity to do so. Perhaps this is the universe's way of punishing him. The universe wanted him to go absolutely insane surrounded by the very things he hated most in the world. He had to say, that plan was working. 

Archie had said that they would make it to Sinnoh within a three days time, but it was the night of the third day and hope of spying the region was wearing thin, but then again, Maxie's attention had primarily been placed on the floor of the boat. The only indication that they were close to the northern region he noticed was the temperature shift. The Hoenn air was humid and warm, but the humidity in the air was gone now. That itself was pleasant, but the fifteen degree temperature shift was not. While Maxie would have much preferred not to go overboard to begin with, he was grateful that it had happened while the air was still warm. This trip was torturous enough. Being soaking wet and exposed to cold air for hours on end could have very well been the death of him. 

However, now he had to worry about another threat to his health. During the three days they have been on this tiny boat, he has only caught Archie taking light dozes before either his Sharpedo woke him up or he woke himself up. A few minutes of sleep here and there was not restful in the slightest, and it was painfully obvious that the man was not okay. His eyes looked heavy, his beard was unkempt, and he was uncharacteristically quiet for long periods of time. Admittedly, Maxie knew that at this point he was nothing to look at either. His red hair was a mess from continuously running his hands through it, his face was a little paler than usual, and he was in desperate need for a shower, but all of those things were only to be expected when being on a boat for so long. Archie was a mess because he forced himself to be in this mess. 

Maxie hated to admit it, but talking about anything with the man was somewhat tolerable compared to sitting in silence on a boat all day. Thanks to Archie's severe sleep deprivation, his mood had plummeted. After the second day, if Maxie so much as made a noise at the wrong time Archie acted as though he was ready to throw him overboard once again. They were enemies, plain and simple. They hated one another, but Archie's most recent words have packed a whole lot more hate behind them than normal. Maxie wasn't intimidated by his words, but he also didn't want to be on the receiving end any more than he had to. 

As the moon of the third night rose in the sky, Maxie was finding it difficult to continue this silence. He watched with annoyance as Archie stood at the dash with his back turned to the red head. His broad shoulders were slumped and his head gradually lowered itself before jerking back to stay relatively upright. 

"You know," Maxie started, finally breaking the thick silence surrounding the boat. Mightyena's ear twitched at the sound, but the Pokemon otherwise stayed still as he slept, his head resting comfortably on his owner's lap. "If you tell me what to do and when I need to do it, I can assist in keeping this boat on course while you take a much needed rest."

Archie scoffed harshly, not even bothering to look behind him. "We're close to Sinnoh. The last thing I need is for you to get us off course."

"But if you tell me-"

"There's no goddamn way you'll be able to learn navigation in a five minute crash course."

"I certainly feel like I'm competent enough to understand the basics. In your state, I'm surprised we haven't hit a rock yet."

"Yeah, well we haven't because I'm good at my damn job. Now, shut your fucking trap before I do it for ya." Archie looked over his shoulder to shoot an icy glare toward Maxie, but the man refused to cower, even if that glare was rather intimidating. Mightyena's half lidded gaze caught that icy glare and let out a low growl in response. Maxie scratched behind his ear to help pacify the creature. As nice as Mightyena ripping Archie's throat out sounded, Archie was the only one on this boat that could bring them to land so an attack wasn't worth it. 

"You better lose the attitude before I shove my foot in your ass," Maxie hissed under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I didn't say shit. Maybe if you had an adequate amount of sleep then you wouldn't be hearing things."

"Just shut up about that, a'ight. The trip's almost over. We got maybe an hour or so left."

That information made Maxie's head perk up a little bit. "We only have an hour left?"

"I don't think I stuttered." Archie's response made Maxie roll his eyes and Mightyena growled again, but some gentle strokes to the fur on his neck was enough to quiet him down again. It did nothing against the glare the creature's blue eyes held on Archie's back though, but Maxie was not concerned about that. 

With the confirmation, Maxie felt somewhat at ease for the first time during the trip. They were almost to glorious land and away from the cruel hell of endless oceans. Maxie craned his neck to see if he could spy anything resembling a landmass, and sure enough, off in the distance was a foggy mound of life. Lights from the buildings were small, but still shined bright like the handful of stars in the newly forming night sky. Such a sight was invigorating. 

Every hour that ticked by during these past three days felt like it was equivalent to a year, but the potential final hour of their trip felt like it took the span of an average adult's lifetime, because of course it did. The universe couldn't allow that lifetime to be anything else than an average adult's lifetime. Things would have been so much better if it was the lifetime of a diseased newborn Wurmple instead, but things just can't come easy to the man who tried to destroy the environment for the sake of bettering humanity. 

The hour was long, silent, and exciting. Land was growing closer and closer. By the time that the moon has halfway in the sky and stars were finally beginning to emerge, only to disappear in the city lights, Archie had turned the motor back on and cruised the boat into a small, somewhat isolated dock. Large cargo ships lined the edge of the city. Despite the late hour, voices could still be heard from the shipyard.

Once the motor was turned off, Maxie gave Mightyena a final pat on the head and returned him to his Pokeball. He would be sure to praise his beloved Pokemon for being an excellent support later when Archie wasn't around to make fun of him for being warm and gushy instead of ice cold. 

All of Maxie's supplies were tucked away nice and neatly in a single suitcase. It saddened him to think that all of his former life was gone and the only thing that remained was a single suitcase and his hatred for Archie, so he wasn't going to think about it. Without waiting for Archie to finish haphazardly transferring his belongings from his storage units into two black gym bags, Maxie had carefully placed his suitcase on the dock and then maneuvered his way onto the dock and off of the blasted boat just as gracefully as he climbed aboard the boat three days ago. Needless to say, it was as graceful as a one winged bird trying to fly, but he made it onto the dock and that was a victory in his book. His legs felt wobbly as he took his first few steps toward land, which was more than likely due to the fact that he hasn't been able to do much moving during the past couple days. When he has, it was on the very unstable water. The Huntail bite he had received also needed to be taken into account. Since little to no weight had been placed on his leg for the past few days, it didn't hurt as much as it should have. Nonetheless, he still found himself placing the majority of his weight on his good leg, limping on his bad one when he needed to walk.

He turned back around to see Archie on the deck with his bags strapped over one shoulder as he called Sharpedo back into his ball. The temptation to run was there, but Maxie knew that his injured leg wouldn't get him far. Perhaps Crobat could be of assistance to him now. They were in a new region, so if he could get away from Archie then he would consider himself a free man. However, despite Archie's exhaustion, he didn't hold it past the man to chase him down. No. He needed to plan this out rather than act on impulse. Instead of running away, Maxie took a few cautious steps back to the man. "Would it be of our interest to burn the boat?" he asked quietly so the people in the distance wouldn't hear them. 

"I would'a said yes, but I wasn't expectin' people to still be lollygagging around. If they saw it burning, then suspicions would arise and I really don't want that."

"But we can't just leave the boat here. Wouldn't that be suspicious as well?"

"It would, but I got it taken care of." Archie made a gesture for him to look and Maxie was hesitant. This could very well be a trap for him to fall for and end up being shoved into the water, so he kept his distance as he looked over at the boat. Water was quickly filling the floor and it would only be a matter of time before it was at the bottom of the water. "Sharpedo packs a mean bite."

Oh, how Maxie was glad that all of Archie's threats to turn him into Sharpedo food were nothing but empty threats. 

With a tug, Archie shifted his bags to fit better on his shoulder and walked past Maxie off the dock. Maxie turned and was quick to join his side. "Welcome to Canalave City," Archie grunted. "Now it's time for ya to pull some weight. I navigated the seas, you can navigate the streets to find us a hotel or somethin'."

"I've never been here though," Maxie scoffed. "Didn't you say that you were here when-"

"Good Arceus, just do it," Archie spat and rolled his neck as if to get a crick out of it. The popping of bones indicated that he did. Maxie scowled in disgust as he pulled out his PokeNav. It came programmed with the map of Hoenn on it, but after a little playing around with it he was able to pull up a map of Sinnoh. He's kept the device turned off during the entirety of the boating trip so his battery was still in good standing as he pulled up the map and narrowed his search down to Canalave City. From what he saw, the streets weren't complicated and there was a hotel near the shipyard. It was a good business choice considering that sailors and businessmen come into the city all the time. With the short route memorized, Maxie pocketed his PokeNav and led the way, careful to stay in the shadows once more. 

"There's a hotel near here. Let me do all of the talking and you try to keep your face hidden," he ordered. Maxie felt like he could pull back his hair, throw on a hat, and take off his glasses and still be unnoticeable to a common man's eye. With the large scar right in the middle and most inconvenient part of Archie's face, someone was bound to notice him. The sooner they get their supplies for their disguises, the better, that's for sure. 

"That's what I planned on doin' anyway," Archie grumbled as he trudged along, trialing slightly behind Maxie. He covered a yawn with his fist and took off his bandanna, shoving it in his pocket. His hair was thick and flattened down, so he ran a hand through it to make it look somewhat decent. That didn't work. Instead, his locks stuck out in every direction, but Archie didn't seem to mind. Maxie gave him a curious look.

"I don't think I've ever seen you without a stupid bandanna on your head," he commented offhandedly and received a harsh glare from sleep deprived eyes. 

"Wouldn't'a expected ya to. I always wear one, so people could pick me out in a crowd if I keep it up," he paused for a moment. "Also, they're not stupid. They're functional."

"Whatever you say," Maxie said with a shrug to end the conversation he regretted starting. 

The shift in scenery was something to appreciate even with his tired eyes. The shipyard was dark and dreary with the scent of saltwater in the air. As they traveled more inward, the salt was still in the air, but it wasn't as abundant. The air was cool and crisp. The slight breeze made Maxie tug his coat a little closer to his body. Even Archie pulled his arms close to his body to stay warm during the short trip. The lights from the streetlamps above made it impossible to stay hidden in the shadows. A few people were still out. A couple swung hands on the opposite side of the street. A group of teens were loitering around the entrance of a PokeMart. The faint sound of music playing from a restaurant could even be heard as they traveled further in the quiet city. Seeing and being apart civilization again after being isolated for days was thrilling.

Right as Archie's moaning and groaning started to get on Maxie's nerves, the neon lights of "Grass Whistle Motel" caught their attention. "This is our stop," Maxie said and took off his glasses, tucking them securely into his coat pocket. His vision definitely wasn't the best, but it also wasn't the worst. The world was blurry, but he could make out enough to get by. He pulled a hair tie out of his pocket and tied his greasy hair back. He would have topped it off with a hat, but he didn't want to dig into his luggage in the middle of the street. He could only hope that two of Hoenn's most wanted criminals weren't well known in Sinnoh. 

As they entered the quaint motel, Maxie's heart skipped a few beats. After traveling for so long, the last thing he wanted was to be caught as soon as they finally made it to semi-asylum. He shook off his nerves and casually strolled up to the front desk, well, as casually as a person could with a limp. The person working was a young lady who he caught stifle a yawn and easily placed a smile on her face when he approached the desk. 

"Looking for a room?" she asked sweetly, already clicking away on her computer. So far so good.

"Uh, yes. We just need a room for the night, preferably one with two beds," Maxie stated, his voice calm and a little tired. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Archie had his back turned to him as he looked at some brochures on the wall. He picked one up and skimmed through it, careful to keep his head down with feigned interest. 

Maxie turned his attention back to the lady when she spoke once more. "It looks like you're in luck. There's one two bed left. Can I see an ID please?"

Maxie's heart was starting to slow a little bit despite being presented the question that should have made him want to run for the hills. She didn't suspect anything. "Of course. Just give me a moment please." He fished out his wallet and pulled out a fake ID card, handing it to her along with the money for the room. He can't remember the last time he used his real ID card, or if he still had it anymore. Fake IDs have been his friends for decades, and this was no different. Instead of Maxie Matsubusa from Lavaridge Town, the identification he gave the lady behind the desk was indicated that he was Xavier Manchester from Saffron City. 

The lady hummed as she looked at the card. "Kanto, huh? That's pretty cool. I haven't met very many people from that region," she said as she typed some information into the computer. 

"Really now? I must admit that traveling to Sinnoh wasn't my first choice, but from what I've seen it is a lovely region." Maxie didn't want to continue this useless conversation, but it looked like he was going to be trapped in it for another minute or so. 

"It is. I've been to Unova before and let me just say they people there aren't nearly as nice as the people here. Here ya go." She handed him his card back and turned around to grab a set of keys from the key box behind her, handing that to him as well. "And here ya go again. You're in room 108, so you'll go outside and it's the second to last room. If you need anything then let someone at the front desk know."

"Thanks. Will do." He took the keys and looked over Archie's way. He didn't need any prompting to join his side as they exited the front office. Maxie let out a sigh and Archie a yawn. "You can thank Magma for the bed tonight."

"And you can thank Sharpedo for not eating you while he had the chance," Archie grumbled. 

Following the lady's advice, Maxie stopped at the second to last room. He unlocked the door and pushed himself inside. The room was certainly not luxurious, but they didn't need luxury if they were just going to be sleeping for the most part. The beds looked stiff and were covered with a tacky, off white comforter decorated with generic floral designs. A small television rested on top of a three drawer dresser and a mini-fridge rested beside that. At the far end of the room was a door which Maxie could only assume led to the bathroom. 

Archie closed the door and locked it once he was inside. Both of the men threw their bags down and gladly kicked their shoes off. Before Maxie could make a mad dash to the shower, Archie's gruff voice stopped him. "Give me Camerupt."

Maxie turned to him, both confused and offended. "Excuse me?"

"Listen. I know I'm going to be out for a while and I don't want you getting the crazy idea of running away now that we're here. Give me Camerupt and I'll give you Sharpedo. It's the best way to keep each other in check."

Maxie couldn't help but laugh at such an insane proposal. "Over my dead body. There's no way I'll hand over Camerupt to a brute like you. You have my word that I won't run away. Now go to bed."

Archie, however, didn't look amused. "You and I both know your word means absolutely nothing. I held up my end of the deal 'n now it's time for you to hold up your end whether you like it or not."

Maxie clicked his tongue and took a step toward the man. Archie had a few inches of height on him, so he had to look up to meet his eyes. Both sets of eyes were ice cold. "And what exactly are you going to do if I refuse to hand over my Pokemon? Have a battle right here and now in this closed environment? Draw attention to us? Lead us straight into the hands-gah!" Maxie's words were cut off as Archie grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him into the wall. He barely regained his footing when Archie's arm harshly pressed itself against Maxie's neck, pinning him to the wall in the worst way possible. Maxie sputtered for breath as he hands grasped the other's arm and tried to push him off, but to no avail. 

"Give me Camerupt and you'll get Sharpedo and the ability to breathe again," he growled as he put more force behind his arm. Maxie grit his teeth as he tried to fight back by kicking his good leg, but his kicks didn't seem to do much against the man.

"F-fine," he finally sputtered, wincing in pain due to Archie's hold on him as well as the pain that came from putting weight on his injured leg. Archie eased up on the man just enough for Maxie to breathe again. He reached down and pulled a Pokeball out of his pocket, holding it up for Archie to see. "Sharpedo first."

Now that Maxie was complying, Archie took a step back and pulled out a Pokeball from his belt loop. Blue eyes never left green as they made the exchange. "If anything happens to him, I'll won't hesitate to release Sharpedo in a grassy patch directly in the sun," Maxie warned and gripped Sharpedo's Pokeball tightly. 

"He won't even leave his ball," Archie replied and flopped down on the nearest bed. "I'm goin' to bed. I'm tired of dealin' with ya."

"As am I," Maxie hissed in return. Before he could step into the much needed shower, he opened up his luggage and pulled out a loose looking black long sleeve shirt and a pair of red plaid pajama pants. With his supplies in hand, he marched off to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. 

The shower was much needed. Not only was he able to get the scent and feeling of salt off of him, but he finally had a moment of peace and quiet. For the first time in three days, he was able to have a moment to himself. The steamy water felt perfect against his cool, pale skin. He closed his eyes and thought. He revived Groudon and the power behind the beast was too much for him to handle. He had severely miscalculated and saw the destruction that the legendary creature could bring to the world. 

Despite the knowledge he held now, there had to be a way to harness Groudon's power. There had to be a way for his goal to be achieved. 

He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, quick to wrap a hotel towel around his body to dry off. Once his body was dried off, he threw on his pajamas and then rubbed the towel against his head to dry off his hair. He hated going to bed with wet hair, but there wasn't much he could do about it now. He was exhausted, so he doubted that damp hair would keep him awake. 

He walked out of the bathroom and turned the light off. Archie was sprawled out on the bed, already out for the count. Maxie rolled his eyes at the sight, but then curiously looked for Camerupt's Pokeball. He didn't see it on Archie's belt loop and a quick rummage through the man's bags said that it wasn't there either. He hated the fact that Archie was smart enough to hide Camerupt from him. 

After turning out the lights, Maxie climbed under the stiff covers of the empty bed. Even though the bed was as stiff as cardboard, it felt nice to lie down on something other than the hard benches of the boat. The pillows were soft, at least. With Sharpedo's Pokeball firmly in his grasp, it didn't take much longer for the redhead to drift into sleep. 

 

///

Archie hasn't been in such a peaceful position in quite a long time. Admittedly, he wasn't purely at peace, but being able to sleep in a bed without having to worry about being woken up in the middle of the night was peaceful enough for him. Of course, that peace didn't last for long. Something had smacked his face and he groaned in response. He didn't want to be up just yet. He wanted to sleep just a little bit longer. However, curiosity made him open his eyes. He yawned and rubbed his cheek, then propped himself up on an elbow as his body adjusted to the waking world. 

"It's about time that you join the world of the living. I would have presumed you to be dead if it weren't for your obnoxious snoring," scoffed Maxie. Archie closed his eyes and laid back down. It was way too early to deal with Maxie's shit. A minute later he opened his eyes again and grabbed whatever it was that was tossed at his face. It was a disposable razor. Ugh. 

"You really know how to give a good morning wake up call, don't ya," Archie groaned as he forced himself to sit up. He was feeling much better compared to the last two days, but he still couldn't shake the tired feeling in his bones. 

"I'm not much of a morning person, but I do believe that people should be up by noon at the latest." Maxie sat on the edge of the other bed with one leg crossed over the other, his arms crossed over his chest. There was something different about him though, and when Archie noticed it, he couldn't help but snicker. It looked like that while he was asleep Maxie had worked on his "disguise." His bulky glasses were no longer on his face and he wasn't squinting to see, so it was safe to assume that he was wearing contacts. His almost shoulder length hair was cut by a few inches and curtained. His signature red hair was gone, and instead his locks were colored light brunet. His pale cheeks had a hint of red as Archie laughed at him. 

"Arcues, I didn't think it would be possible for ya to look any more stupid, but here we are." 

Maxie shot him a glare, but a sinister smile soon crept onto his face. "Your insults don't bother me in the slightest considering that macho manly man beard of yours will be gone here in a few moments. You're probably going to be so babyfaced," he mused as he unfolded his arms to rest his chin on his hand. Now it was Archie's turn to glare at him. 

"I was kinda hopin' ya weren't gonna go through with it."

"But I did, and now you're going to suffer as well. I'm not happy about this in the slightest, but I must say I will find immense joy in your suffering."

"Way to be subtle 'bout it," Archie grumbled as he scooted over to the edge of the bed and stood up, the disposable razor in hand. 

"Also, considering that you were an absolute pain in the ass for the past two days, we were not able to come up with a plan for once we reached land. Once you're finished with your shower and shaving, we need to discuss what's next." It has been driving him insane not having the next ten steps of their plan set in stone. 

"For once, I agree with ya. You've been a pain in the ass and we need a game plan." With that being said, Archie grabbed a pair of clean(ish) clothes and entered the bathroom. He stroked his beard in the mirror, knowing that it was going to be a while before he would be able to see it to its fullest glory. With a sigh, he placed the razor down, shed his clothes, and stepped into the shower. He would have loved to take a bath instead, but they didn't have much time to waste. They were in Sinnoh, sure, but they needed to get out of the motel and settle down somewhere. A few ideas popped into Archie's mind as the hot water beat down against his dark skin, and none of them sounded fun.

After the shorter than he would have liked shower, he let out a sigh and wiped the fog off of the mirror. He was tempted to just trim it, but that wouldn't have been good enough. He could still be recognizable. With a bit of hesitation, he opened the razor's package and got to work.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, now it was Maxie's turn to laugh at him. Archie's neatly groomed beard was gone. Instead, it was nothing but skin. The man clearly didn't look pleased about this new look, but at the same time he couldn't stop rubbing his now smooth chin. 

"Stars, you look like-"

"Don't even finish that thought." Archie's words had managed to cease Maxie's comment, but his light giggles still stuck around. "I can't even remember the last time I've been this clean shaven. It's hadta been since I was a teen."

"So, fifty years ago?" Maxie smirked. 

"Thirty, thank you very much," Archie replied as he took his seat on the bed opposite to Maxie. "But that's neither here nor there. What we need to focus on is our game plan. I got a couple of ideas in mind. None of them sound fun, but they would be effective. No matter what we do, we have to settle down somewhere. The coppers would only expect us to be traveling around, hoping from city to city, region to region. Traveling's exhaustin' so we're bound to let our guard down and that's how we get caught. No one would expect for us to stay put in one place for a long time, let alone living together."

Simultaneously, they both made a disgusted expression at the thought of living together for a long period of time, but then again, they both agreed to it so they only have themselves to blame. 

"I do see the benefits of that and while I won't be happy sharing the same roof with you, it would be much better than traveling with you by my side. While cold, Sinnoh is a lovely region. That, and while I was shopping this morning I saw that the headlines of the newspapers and magazines in this region were not concerned with Team Aqua and Team Magma in the slightest. Rather, people are more terrified of Team Galactic. No matter where we go, as long as we keep our heads low we will be able to stay under the radar."

Archie nodded along to Maxie's words, now rubbing his chin both to feel the smoothness of it and in thought. "Now the question is do we go to a city or do we find a small town? The best two places I can think of are Jubilife City and Floaroma Town. They're neighboring places not too far from here. In Jubilife, we can probably blend in well with the crowd, but I bet there'll be a lot of coppers on patrol in the area. In Floaroma, the locals would probably wanna get friendly with us, but it would also be the last place anyone would think to look for us. The coppers would think that we would go big, given what we've done in the past. No one would think that two powerful leaders would settle down in a town known for pretty flowers."

Maxie furrowed his brows as he thought, one foot tapping idly in the air. After a long moment of thought, he finally spoke again. "As much as I would love to stay in a city, I also like walking around as a free man. However, the locals of a small town are very community oriented. If we were to live in a place like Floaroma Town, then we would have to be friendly toward our neighbors in order to not stand out as strange foreigners that came to town."

"But as long as we play our cards right, the locals could probably help us out. Let's say, for some reason, the coppers start asking the locals about any seeing any suspicious people. If we play the part of two dudes just tryin' to settle down right, then the people will think that we're nothin' out of the ordinary."

"However, people in the city mind their business. As long as we mind out business as well, we should be fine," Maxie countered, now leaning in with interest. 

Archie groaned and closed his eyes. It was a tough decision, but he was the (former) leader of Team Aqua, dammit. He could come up with the best solutions to whatever problems he faced. However, he also couldn't say that he's faced a problem as big as this. 

"You know what," Maxie started and Archie opened his eyes to look at the man, "we could go back and forth on this all day. Both ideas have equivalent pros and cons. We cannot afford to waste any more time on this. We need to leave this motel and try to settle down as quickly as possible." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "I know it's old fashioned and rather primal, but flipping a coin has proven to be an effective decision making method during my life."

Archie stopped and stared at him, shocked that those words came out of Maxie's mouth.

"Don't give me that look," he huffed. "I know my analytical mind likes to plan things based on efficiency and logic, but sometimes a little bit of chance needs to be thrown into the mix."

"I gotta admit, ya got me. I never would'a guessed that's how you settle tough decisions. That sounds like something I would do if I was stupid."

"Shut it. If you want to continue this conversation then it is fine by me. All I know is that if we keep this up then we are going to go around and round in circles without figuring out a definitive solution." 

Their eyes locked together once more. For once, the ice in their looks had melted. Instead, their gazes held nothing but pure challenge. Finally, Archie broke the silence. "Heads, Floaroma. Tails, Jubilife."

Maxie smirked now that he had his way. He tossed the coin in the air and caught it. The smirk on his face had shifted downward into a slight frown. "Heads."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! The two are finally in Sinnoh and now the real fun can start. Feel free to send me a question/comment/concern either in the comment section, my personal blog ghostlyfluffster.tumblr.com , or on the fic's blog authorazumarill.tumblr.com . I love interacting with you guys and who knows? I may end up dropping a couple of hints as to what's going to happen.
> 
> Next time: What do you mean we're dating?!


	4. Welcome to Floaroma Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now there are two people on Maxie's hit list.

"We've known each other for years at this point, regretfully," Maxie stated and pinched the bridge of his nose. His glasses were currently in their case, and that case was tucked away carefully in his suitcase. It felt weird wearing contacts, but now he didn't have to move anything in order to punch his nose in exasperation. "You are a bold, brash, and moronic adrenaline junkie, but you're afraid of flying."

"I'm not afraid of flying," Archie scoffed and rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest as he stood his ground firmly, which was the only way he felt like he could be intimidating now. His beard was gone and the scar across his face was covered up with make up that was just a little bit too light for his dark skin (thanks Maxie), but he doubted anyone outside of the authorities would call him out on it. He no longer looked like the ragged, tough as nails sailor who could and would through a person off of the side of a ship by holding them high over his head and then chucking them overboard. Instead, he looked like someone who worked in a cubicle during the day and hit the gym at night. His messy hair said that he wasn't going to get that promotion any time soon. "I'm just not a fan of falling, y'know, like normal people are."

"Then how in the world do you plan on getting to Floaroma Town?" Admittedly, they should have went over their modes of transportation before they checked out of the hotel, but Maxie just assumed that they would be taking their Crobats to Floaroma. For one, Maxie was in no shape to do any long distance walking. For two, flying seemed like the only sane option here. 

"I'll just walk. It ain't that far from here." Archie shrugged, obviously not understanding why Maxie was getting so worked up over this."Besides, it's not like you can walk much on that chewed up ankle of yours."

"You do realize that we're going to show up in town at two vastly different times, right?"

"Uh, yeah? You can go on and get acquainted with the neighbors and I'll get acquainted with the area. I also really need a break from your stupid face."

Maxie placed his hands on his hips and huffed at Archie's blatant reasoning. "As do I," he huffed in return. They stood on the edge of Canalave City, overlooking Route 218. The air was crisp and chill with the mid-autumn air. Some green still lingered in the trees, but for the most part the trees were turning brilliant shades of red, yellow, and orange. If it had not been for the cool air that brushed against his face, Maxie could very well get used to the autumn season. He knew that it was only going to get colder come winter, but he would deal with it when it got closer to that time of year. That was also assuming Archie hadn't killed him by that point. 

"So I'll make a compromise with you," Archie stated. "You can fly and I'll meet ya there." There was no way in hell that Archie would have trusted the man to make it to the agreed upon destination and not fly away to who knows where on his own accord. However, Camerupt's Pokeball was attached to his belt loop along with the rest of his team, well, outside of Sharpedo who was currently residing in Maxie's coat pocket. Maxie was not subtle in taking glances to look at Archie's waist as, longing to have his partner back. 

"Fine," Maxie replied, not putting much thought into the idea. They had managed to walk through Canalave without turning any heads. They would be fine to separate for a while without anyone recognizing them. "But remember-"

"If anything happens to Camerupt you'll throw Sharpedo into a pool of acid. Yeah, yeah." Archie easily waved off. "He'll be fine."

Maxie was getting real sick and tired of Archie interrupting him, but for the time being he was just going to be huffy but otherwise didn't plan on doing anything in retaliation. "Just be careful with him," he said as he pulled out a Pokeball from his coat pocket and threw it out. Crobat popped out. Upon seeing Archie, the Pokemon gave him a sharp glare. Archie glared back and Maxie gently patted the Pokemon as a sign that there was no need to fight. At least, not yet. "I'll meet you in Floaroma then. Try not to take to long. I do want to get settled in as soon as possible."

"Right." Archie nodded. "It's pretty much a straight stretch. I won't be too long."

Maxie gave him a nod of acknowledgement, then hopped on to Crobat's back. He had studied a map long enough to have an idea as to where he was going, so he felt confident that he could guide Crobat to where he needed to go. 

Once Crobat was a high enough distance up and away from Archie, Maxie felt free to let his shoulders slump a bit. He let out a sigh and rested his head against the top of Crobat's. The Pokemon looked up in an attempt to see what his trainer was up to and let out a soft noise. "What have I gotten myself into?" he mumbled, almost defeated. 

The air was a sweet solace. It was open and none of the fliers that passed by care about the other fliers in the air. It was proper etiquette to not bother other people when they were hundreds of feet in the air. Due to this, Maxie felt free to show a little weakness. Everything's been tumbling down so harshly that it was impossible to keep it all in. He didn't cry despite knowing that it would help his emotions reach an equilibrium once more. The great Maxie didn't cry. The great Maxie did pout though. 

"Never in my life would I have thought that I would be forced to spend my days with Archie and only Archie of all people. There are what? Hundreds of millions of people on the planet? Maybe a billion at this point? Out of all the people, why did it have to be the one person I hate the most? Straighten up a little, dear. We're getting off course a tad," he instructed and the Pokemon obeyed. 

"See? I can navigate just fine. If I can navigate the air, then I can navigate the seas. I would have preferred not to deal with the seas to begin with. If those blasted children hadn't gotten in my way, then I wouldn't be in this position. The great Maxie was supposed to change the world for the better, but no one appreciates that. They'd rather damn me than praise me. I suppose that I should be used to that by this point in my life though," he sighed out and Crobat made a sad noise. Maxie gave him a comforting pat. 

"It's alright. There was nothing either of is could have done in order to prevent our defeat. Maybe it was for the best but...but I can't help but feel like there was surely something I could have done in order to be successful. Maybe, with a little bit of time, I'll be able to make a comeback. If I was able to awaken Groudon once, I'll be able to do it again. It will just be harder this time." Maxie closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He knew that attempting such a feat as awakening Groudon again would just be a big waste of time and energy, but at this point in his life, he felt as though he had nothing more to lose. 

With a frown on his face, Crobat looked up at his trainer and then looked straight ahead. He hated seeing his trainer so down in the dumps. However, that frown shifted upward when an idea popped into his mind. Crobat made a noise of warning before speeding up and dropping downward in a nose dive. Maxie's eyes widened and he gripped the Pokemon tighter as they fell. An undignified shout escaped his lips, but the shout of terror turned into one of joy as Crobat swiftly changed his direction and flew upward. Maxie squeezed the Pokemon in a hug and laughed as Crobat evened his flying once more. "You silly thing," he said with endearment and patted his head. "You're too good to me." Crobat let out a pleased screech in response. 

////

The hustle and bustle of a city was a universal constant, but there was something severely different about the cities in Sinnoh that Archie couldn't quite put his finger on. Canalave seemed quiet and reclusive. Jubilife was lively, but felt really impersonal. Everyone kept to themselves for the most part. Hoenn cities were very chatty since it seemed like no one in the region knew a stranger. Most of the chatter he heard in Jubilife were from salesmen hounding indifferent people as they walked by. Normally, as long as no eye contact was made then the salesmen would leave people alone, just like trainers. However, it was kind of impossible to not look at them when they were dressed up as goofy clowns and not some prick in a business suit. Even Archie caught himself staring at one as he walked by, but quickly picked up his pace when he heard the man try to talk to him. 

Originally he planned on staying in Canalave a little longer in order to catch up on all the sailor gossip going around. Surely someone knew something about what was going on over in Hoenn regarding their updated Most Wanted list. That plan went down the drain when Maxie was insistent on leaving the city as soon as they could. He could have just went to the bar as soon as Maxie was out of sight and therefore out of mind, but he wouldn't hold it past the deranged man to harm Sharpedo if Archie took longer than necessary to reach their destination. 

If there was a bright side to any of this, it was that no one paid any mind to him. He felt like he could relax a little bit, but not too much. If he let his guard down too much, then he was definitely going to get caught. He didn't want to get caught period, but if he did then the wanted Maxie to go down with him. 

Navigating through the city was easy. The streets were very linear and before he knew it he made it to Route 204. Barely an hour and a half had gone by since their departure, so he felt like he was making some excellent time. The edge of the city had very few people walking around and the route ahead was even more barren. He took a glance over his right shoulder, then his left, then figured what the hell. He tossed out a Pokeball and his Mightyena stretched out and yawned. That relaxed nature quickly vanished when he caught sight of the man before him. With teeth bared, he let out a low growl to warn Archie to back off. For a solid second he really wondered what had gotten into the pooch, but then he remembered that his appearance was drastically different and his Mightyena wasn't necessarily the brightest Mightyena in the world. He still loved the poor creature though. 

"Knock it off," he laughed. "You know you don't get treats if ya growl at me like that."

His appearances may have fooled the Pokemon, but his voice certain did not. Mightyena ceased his snarled and instead gave him an apologetic bark. Archie grinned and patted the Pokemon on his furry head. It was nice having a companion to walk with. Mightyena trotted beside his owner, occasionally sniffing the grass in this new land. "We're in Sinnoh now, boy," Archie gently explained as though Mightyena could understand complex thought and not just simple commands. "It's a long way from home, but hopefully we'll like it." Hopefully was the key word in that statement. There were plenty of things working against making his time in Sinnoh enjoyable. He was on the run from the authorities, he had to shave his beard, he could no longer look out at the beautiful Hoenn waters, but most importantly, he was stuck with Maxie and only had himself to blame for that one. He let out a sigh and let his shoulders slump now that Maxie wasn't around to judge him. He was trying his best to be optimistic about this, but everything he knew in life was gone. This wasn't the first time he had to start from scratch, but it wouldn't be any easier. That was guaranteed. 

"We gotta do this shit over again, boy. Heh. You were just a lil' Poochyena the last time we went through something like this, but we made it then and we can make it now." Archie was quick to realize that his words were falling on deaf ears as Mightyena trotted ahead a little bit, completely uninterested in what Archie had to say. It felt good to get relieve some of the pain off of his chest though. 

He readjusted the bags on his shoulder and smirked when an idea came into his head. He bent down and picked up a stick, wagging it in the air to get Mightyena's attention. It worked. With his tongue hanging out, his eyes were focused on the stick, eagerly waiting for the moment Archie finally let that bad boy fly. Archie pulled his arm back and swung it, the branch staying firmly in his grasp. Poor Mightyena fell for such a cruel trick and ran a couple yards ahead in the hopes of finding the stick. A harsh look of betrayal spread on his face when he saw the stick still in his trainer's hand. A loud, hearty laugh escaped Archie at the sight. 

"Sorry boy. You know I'm just pickin'." That apology didn't seem to be enough for Mightyena. With a grin, Archie pulled his arm back and tossed the stick with as much force as he normally placed behind throwing his Pokeballs, which was a lot. The stick went flying and Mightyena immediately stopped pouting and ran to fetch it. 

Route 204 was clear and peaceful. The grass was full and vibrant green. A soft breeze rustled through the transitioning colored leaves. There were a few wild Pokemon running around, mainly Budew, but most of them ran away as Mightyena barreled through the route to get the stick. It was serene, and Archie couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his gut. All of this would have been destroyed if he had his way. 

Mightyena snapped him out of his thoughts when he triumphantly brought the stick back to his trainer. He sat down and looked up at Archie expectantly, the stick tucked away safely in his mouth. He only loosened up his jaw when Archie took a hold of the stick again, repeating the same process as last time. The stick soared in the air and Mightyena ran to get it.

Once the stick landed, Mightyena was quick to bite down on it. To add insult to injury to the poor stick, Mightyena gnawed on it for a moment. His ears perked up when he heard a noise. It didn't sound like Archie's footsteps or some wild Pokemon playing in the grass. He stopped his chewing and stood up attentively. His red eyes were fixated on the trees. Such odd behavior made Archie raise an eyebrow as he finally caught up to the creature. "See something, boy?"

Mightyena let out a low growl, warning whatever it was out there to stay away. Archie looked quizzically at the situation. He didn't see anything that looked harmful. The only thing around were a few Budews and the occasional Shinx. Once he made it to Mightyena's side he scratched behind the creature's ear to help him calm down. "It's alright. New region, new Pokemon. A lil' Budew ain't gonna hurt ya. They're probably not all that tasty either." Archie had a feeling that Mightyena wasn't worried about a harmless Budew though. His eyes were focused elsewhere. Archie tried to focus in one whatever Mighytena was seeing, but the only thing that he could see was tree after tree. He really didn't want to venture deep into the woods that lined the route. At least, not right now. Maybe later when he didn't have two bags filled with the remnants of his life over his shoulder and a grumpy Maxie waiting for him in the town at the end of the route. 

"C'mon, boy. There's nothing to worry about out there." He patted Mightyena's neck and then took a few steps back to the beaten path, keeping a careful eye on the Pokemon to make sure that he was going to follow. Mightyena looked at him, then back to the tree lines. Right when Archie thought that Mightyena was going to straighten up and follow him, Mightyena's head whipped around. His low growls turned into threatening barks. Before he had the chance to run off and chase whatever invisible force spooked him, Archie returned him to his Pokeball and let out a soft sigh. 

Mightyena's behavior was all so curious. Archie peered through the tree lines again in an attempt to see what Mightyena saw, but once again. he had no luck. It was probably just a wild Pokemon, Archie kept on telling himself as he broke his view of the tree lines and focused on the route straight ahead. However, Archie found it hard to shake the eerie feeling in the air. It was a feeling that only started to creep against his skin after Mightyena threw his little fit. It was nothing. His nerves have been on high alert as of late, so this was bound to be paranoia getting to him. He readjusted the bags and cleared his head of what could have been lurking in the woods once he came to the conclusion that Mightyena was just acting like the rambunctious Pokemon he was. Instead, he thought about the future. What was he going to do with his life now? Team Aqua had been his life for so long. Now that it was gone, well, he was pretty terrified about what laid ahead. Possibly the fear that he was going to face first was what Maxie was doing over in Floaroma Town without him. He could only hope that Maxie wasn't going to kill him for taking the longer route.

////

Maxie was going to kill Archie for taking the longer route. He was trying to think of the perfect way to do it as he listened to the elderly man sitting before him talk. Smothering him with a pillow was probably the quietest way to go about it, but it would also seem highly suspicious. Maybe Maxie could find strength in his rage and hold Archie's head underwater, but he knew that Archie would be quick to turn the tables on that plan and Maxie didn't want to experience that again. 

He also wanted to leave this experience as soon as he could. Floaroma Town was just as dreadful as he expected it was going to be. Elegant flower patches took up nearly all of the open space on the ground. The vividly colored flowers swayed in the cool breeze. Along with the overly sweet aroma that wafted through the air, there was also a high concentration of pollen that has made Maxie sneeze more than once within the past half hour alone. He would have been grateful if the man had moved this conversation to the comforts of the house ten feet away from that, but life couldn't be easy or merciful toward him, now could it? Instead, the man insisted that they would have a peaceful conversation on the patio. However, it wasn't much of a conversation since the man had been doing most of the talking for the past hour or so. It got Maxie out of fumbling around with a fake story, but he would much rather have had to deal with that than to keep a smile on his face and nod when it seemed appropriate. This was absolute hell. Archie needed to be here to suffer with him. 

Finally, the man took a breath from his rant about the pesky Bidoofs in the area and Maxie found that to be a perfect opportunity to strike. "I completely understand your concern, Mr. Anderson. Back in Kanto we had to deal with Rattatas getting into our garbage all the time. I'll be sure-"

"The one you gotta look out for is Bucky," Mr. Anderson continued as if Maxie hadn't said anything. The man pushed up his thick glasses and ran a hand down the side of his grey beard to straighten it out from where the wind had been blowing against it. "Bucky's three times the size of a normal Bidoof, I swear it on my Aunt Gertrude's grave. He's a feisty one, that one is. He'll get into your trash, eat the plants out of your garden, cut some cables with those sharp chompers of his, and if any of that does happen you get me on the phone so I can hurry over and teach that varmint a lesson! He won't scare another one of my tenants away!"

The only thing scaring them away is the crazed old man, Maxie thought. Of course the one vacancy in town had to have been owned by a nut job, but at least the small house was nice and the price was fairly reasonable. 

His mouth was starting to hurt from how long he was having to keep up his forced smile. Maxie couldn't take it anymore. He opened his mouth a few times to speak, but the man just kept on droning on. Eventually, Maxie spoke out of turn, not caring if that was deemed as rude in the old man's eyes. "I'll be sure to stay on high alert for Bucky. He shouldn't be anything my partner and I can't handle. We've been trainers for years, so we know a thing or two about difficult Pokemon," he said, putting in every ounce of effort his body had to make his tone light and friendly rather than cold and condescending. "Speaking of, he should be here any moment now. I should probably go and meet him at the entrance of the town."

"Oh! Oh yes. You did mention that you were going to be sharing this lovely house with someone else. In that case, I would like to meet him as well. I bet that you two are a fine pair, but it would be rude of me not to meet him." Using the table as a guide, Mr. Anderson pushed himself up and then grabbed his cane. Maxie stood up as well, wanting to desperately to knock the man in the head and let Sharpedo have a fest. 

"Well, I'm sure that he will love to talk to you. He's quite the conversationalist. During our travels I don't think he has met a stranger." 

"Then he and I will get along just fine!" the elderly man laughed as he began to trek off of the small property, Maxie having no choice but to follow. The house was perfect for two run aways. It was a cheery, single story house that the man clearly kept in excellent condition. Flowery bushes lined the sides of the house. The front had a small, undecorated porch and the back had the patio the two were currently exiting. "Now, this is your boyfriend, correct?"

Maxie sputtered. Where in the world had he gotten that from? He had only mentioned Archie as his partn...oh. Honestly, he should have known better. He should he referred to Archie has his battle assistant or his double battle friend in order to not confuse the already delirious old man. "Oh no. No no no. He's not-we're not-" That question really threw Maxie off. He couldn't remember the last time he fumbled around with his words. "We're simply-" 

"Oh nonsense!" Maxie should have expected to have been cut off right at the most inconvenient time. "I know you come from the Kanto region, but this is Sinnoh, son! We aren't as traditional as they are over there." He slammed his open palm against Maxie's back with surprising force from such an old man. He was probably trying to be comforting, but it absolutely did not help matters in the slightest. "You can have the fresh start you were talking about here! Live life to the fullest each and every day, and life can't be lived unless you're proud of who you are!"

The words were encouraging, but they really didn't help matters. They only made things a thousand times worse. "Mr. Anderson, I promise you our definitions of the word 'partner' mean two completely-"

"I remember back when I was a young man-" Mr. Anderson started, completely ignoring Maxie once again.

Sweet merciful Arceus, please strike him down where he stood. His face was the same shade of red as his hair used to be. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a hole for the next couple years of his life. He wouldn't be having this problem if the old man let him get two words in, but here he was in absolute agony. He was embarrassed by the man's words and the thought of what Archie was going to say once he found out that this is apparently their alibi, tired and hungry from the trip, and his chewed up ankle hated all of the weight that came with walking and made sure that Maxie knew it too. 

They were only a minute or so from the entrance of town when Maxie spied a familiar, stupid face trudge into the town, looking around like a lost and confused wild Poochyena. Archie pulled out his PokeNav to message Maxie, but ended up pocketing it again when he saw the two approach. Mr. Anderson took the lead. While Maxie was behind him and had Archie attention, he put a finger gun to his head and then pulled the imaginary trigger by flicking his wrist. The way that Archie's expression faltered was enough to tell Maxie that the point had gotten across to him.

"Hello, hello!" Mr. Anderson announced and waved wildly to Archie, finally stopping once he was close enough to the man. Archie did wave back, albeit a little less enthusiastically. "Welcome to Floaroma Town, sonny! I'm Theodore Anderson, but you can call me as you like. Teddy, Theo, Theodore, Mr. Anderson, Theodore Anderson, however you please. You know, Xavier here was just telling me about you, but I don't think I caught your name."

Archie was about to respond honestly, but quickly caught himself. What was the name he had on his ID? Oh yeah. He remembered. He reached his hand out toward Mr. Anderson, the elderly man meeting him in the middle to give him a firm shake. "Bernie Cortez, pleasure to meet ya."

"You got quite the grip there, Bernie," Mr. Anderson laughed as he drew back his hand, giving it an over dramatic shake. "It's been quite some time since I've had a good handshake like that. You're going to be an excellent tenant, that's for sure!"

"Tenant?" Archie questioned and looked over at Maxie. 

"Oh yes! There was only one place available in town and since we were positive we wanted to settle down here I just went on and scooped it up. It's a very nice house. I'm sure that Mr. Anderson will love to go over everything with you." Maxie smirked and Archie didn't trust that look in his eyes. He wanted to make Archie suffer the same way he had been suffering for the last hour or so. 

"That I would, son, but it's getting a wee bit too late for my liking. The misses is probably wanting me for supper right about now, but I'll be sure to take a rain check on our chat, Bernie." Maxie stood in complete shock as Archie grinned to the man. 

"I'll be looking forward to it, Theo. Right now I'm ready to sit down and take it easy for a lil' while."

"I can see why! You've been traveling for quite some time I'm sure of it. Go and rest up. If you need anything, Xavier has my number and it's also taped onto the fridge door. Now, you lovebirds behave yourselves in your new home. We aren't as young as we use to be!" Mr. Anderson laughed. He gave the men a wave and began his trek home. 

Archie kept the grin on his face as he watched the man leave, but he was still bewildered at all of the words that came out of the man's mouth. Seeing Maxie's silent rage didn't help matters. "Lovebirds?" he whispered over to Maxie, but his eyes widened with realization once that word left his lips. "You better not've."

"I swear I didn't. Let's not talk about it here. Come on. The house isn't too far from here." Without another word, Maxie turned his back to Archie and lead him to the place they would be calling home for who knows how long. 

The house was fairly nice. The interior walls were painted a soft grey color, dark, hardwood floors lined the fully furnished living room while light, tile floors were in the neighboring kitchen. Past the living room was a hallway that presumably lead to a bedroom and bathroom, but it was hard to say what exactly was behind those doors without opening them up. 

Archie didn't have time to admire his new home though. As soon as the door closed behind him, he dropped his bags to the floor and ran a hand through his messy hair. "You told the geezer we were dating?!"

"I did no such thing!" Maxie responded, immediately on the offensive as he leaned on the back of the couch, finally getting some of the weight off of his injured ankle. "I couldn't get two words in when I was talking to the man."

"The phrase 'We're dating' is only two words though. That must've been enough."

Maxie pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled a deep breath. "I am personally going to bury the next person that puts words in my mouth, and considering that you're the only one here, the chances of it being you are highly in your favor. Now shut up and listen. I told him we were partners, as in trainer partners. You were supposed to be the brawn to my brain. The fairy tale girl to my hex maniac. He just went on and assumed that was code for 'boyfriend.' Bleh. The word feels horrible on my tongue."

"And ya didn't correct the guy?!"

"I never had the chance! He was too busy ranting about how much he hates Bidoofs." Now it was Maxie's turn to run a frustrated hand through his hair. He really missed the length of it, but there were clearly more important matters at hand right now. "He's bound to tell his wife who moved in, and I guarantee you his wife will spread the news around town. I think it's too late to edit this story." 

Archie pushed himself off of the door, his hand on his chin as the Pikachu in his head turned its wheels. "Y'know..." Archie started and Maxie grimaced. 

"I already don't like the sound of that."

"Shut it. I'm thinking that maybe...this might actually work in our favor. Just think about it. No one would think that we would be livin' under the same roof, pretending to be dating and all that shit. Everyone knows that we hate the sight of each other, so no one would ever expect us to be pulling a stunt like this."

Maxie groaned as he listened to the other's logic. He hated the fact that Archie kind of had a point right now. He scooted a little bit so he could comfortably sit on the arm of the couch. "Never in my life would I have thought that I would stoop so low."

"Yeah, well, it's somethin' both of us gotta deal with. We don't gotta like it. We just gotta go along with it."

The air had became thick in the room as both of them fell silent. They both hated that this is what they were doing with their lives, but as Archie said, it looked like they were just going to have to deal with it. 

"Fine." Maxie finally spat out. "You better not be too affectionate towards me though. I will make Camerupt turn you into a burnt seafood platter if you get even remotely close to a line."

Archie laughed at the threat. "Oh please. I would want Camerupt to burn me if that was the case. Charred fingers wouldn't be able to feel your gross skin."

"You're one to talk," he scoffed and rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms and exhaled another deep breath, letting some of the fierceness in his eyes fade. "How is Camerupt anyway?"

"Hasn't been out of his ball." To prove his point, Archie pulled Camerupt's ball from his belt and held it up for Maxie to see. "And Sharpedo?"

"Still in his ball where he belongs." To return the favor, Maxie pulled Sharpedo's ball out of his coat pocket. "Do you want to trade them back?"

"I dunno. Depends on how big the tub is," Archie said and stepped away to finally explore the small house. Maxie furrowed his brows as his mind thought about what Archie could have meant with that, eyes widening once realization hit. 

"Archie, you better not!" 

"Try an' stop me, nerd!"

Floaroma Town, known for it's peaceful beauty, may need to find something else to pride itself on now that the newest residents have came to town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! The support that this fic has been gaining is really astounding. All of you guys are so awesome and I don't think there are any words to describe how appreciative I am of everyone. I love writing this story, but you guys keep me motivated not to give it up, to update regularly, so forth and so on. Needless to say, you guys are awesome!!!
> 
> Also, I know that this isn't the most exciting chapter in the world, but I needed to make it in order for the rest of the story to fall into place. The next two chapters are definitely going to be thrill rides >:3c
> 
> Also also, I know that renting out a house is a complicated process, but I don't wanna bring too much reality into the world of Pokemon. There's a fine line between "okay reality" and "not okay reality" and that line will hopefully never be stepped over by my shoes. Plus, adult shit is boring and confusing. I have no room for that in my story.
> 
> If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the fic, then feel free to message me! You can either do it in the comments or you can check out authorazumarill.tumblr.com and leave an ask there! I love hearing everyone's input and talking about the story in general! Keep on being awesome, guys!!!
> 
> Next time: An attempted escape.


	5. The Flight of the Crobats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first morning in their new house proves to be hectic.

Sleep had never been friends with Archie. He was often times to excited or too focused on a task to sleep, but when he did sleep, it was nothing special. The night had been normal, which was something that Archie hadn't expected to experience this early in their grand escape. Gentle chirping from Kricketots and soft melodies of Kricketunes played in the otherwise quiet night air. The neighbors were fast asleep. Nothing was out of the ordinary in the small town. Such a feeling of ease that was brought by the town could put anyone's mind at peace. Well, anyone but Archie's. 

Now that he didn't have to create plans for Team Aqua or worry about someone spying him escaping from Hoenn, he finally had the chance to sleep peacefully. Of course, he couldn't. Now that things were beginning to settle down in a way, he couldn't help but begin to think about just what went wrong as he stared up at the living room ceiling. Maxie had called dibs on the single bedroom in the house and Archie didn't feel like fighting him on it. The couch was comfortable enough. He rested his arms behind his head, not minding the numbness that came after staying in that position for who knows how long. He was too lost in thought to care. The more that he thought about his power, his downfall, and all of the mistakes that he made along the way, he worse he felt. Good, he thought. It was a justified feeling. He deserved this guilt. Holding the Blue Orb in his hands, summoning the legendary beast Kyogre, it made him feel like the most powerful man in the world. Such power was thrilling, addicting even, if only for that moment.

However, the memories plaguing him tonight wasn't the blinding flashes of blue the orb emitted, Kyogre bringing down the heaviest rainfall humanity had ever witnessed, or even the world ending clash between Kyogre and Groudon. No. Instead, it was the faces of the people he hurt. The grunts were forced to disperse on a moment's notice. Many of them didn't want to leave, but Archie's words told them otherwise. Then there was his admins, his friends, Shelly and Matt. Remembering how Matt broke down in tears, begging him to think of another plan when Archie had broken the news to him about his escape made him wince and rub his temple as if that would be able to erase the image from his head. The thing that hurt the most was despite everything, the last words Shelly had given him were words of forgiveness. He was stupid, impulsive, and nearly caused the world to end, but somehow, Shelly had forgiven him. 

He sat up, unable to lay down any longer. Being lost in his thoughts was driving him insane. He hated to admit it, which is why he wasn't going to, but he needed Maxie in order to distract him from himself. Rays of sunlight were beginning to seep through the cracks of the blinds. He looked at the time on his PokeNav and figured that it was a reasonable time to get up and moving. He stood up and stretched out. He doubted that they had any food that would make for a decent breakfast, and when he examined the barren cabinets and fridge his hypothesis was only confirmed. He was too tired after walking all the way from Canalave to Floaroma to do anything other than annoy Maxie last night, and Maxie must not have been able to do a little shopping while he was waiting for his rival to show up. He was pretty sure there was a PokeMart in town, but he didn't want to leave the house without Maxie at least knowing. The man could think that he had high tailed it out of there and hurt Sharpedo.

Without much care for Maxie's privacy, Archie cracked open his bedroom door and poked his head in. The former Magma leader was sleeping soundly in the bed that came from the fully furnished house. They really did hit the jackpot when it came to finding places to settle down for a while. Maxie was sprawled out on his stomach, half of his face buried in his pillow. It seemed to do nothing to muffle his snores though. Arceus, he could put a Snorlax to shame. 

Archie stepped inside the room and lingered around the bed for a moment, thinking about the best way to wake Maxie up. He could pour some cold water on his face. That would serve as revenge for all the damage he had dished out to Team Aqua over the years. However, they had neighbors they also had to worry about now. They were supposed to be a happy couple. Being woken up by Maxie's screams and curses would not play into that image. Tugging his blanket off would be too simple and probably not effective since he sounded like he was really out of it. Archie scratched his smooth chin in thought. When he noticed that the half of his face that wasn't being smothered by a pillow was facing the window, a lightbulb went off above his head. He casually strolled over to the window and yanked open the blinds, allowing the rays of the morning sun to flood the room. Maxie's face scrunched in distaste, but instead of waking up he simply turned to the other side. Archie placed his hands on his hips as he stared incredulously at the man. So he wanted to be a hard ball, huh? 

Archie stepped over to the bed and grabbed the thick, faded violet comforter the landlord has graciously provided them as part of the fully furnished house deal. With a swift movement, he pulled the comforter off the the bed, exposing Maxie's pajama clad body to the morning world. Now that he was without a source of warmth, Maxie groaned into the pillow. He rolled to his side and opened his eyes just enough to see that unsurprisingly Archie was the source of his annoyance before closing them again. "Archie...to early for this..." he mumbled along with some other incomprehensible words and rolled over, turning his back to the man. 

"The sun's out so it's time to act alive, Maxie." He dropped the comforter on the floor.

"Too early to be alive. Go away." Maxie grabbed one of the pillows and lazily tossed it at Archie, but it wasn't even close to hitting him. Instead, it landed near the foot of his bed and slowly slid off, gently falling to the floor.

A grin crept up on Archie's face. "Fine. I'll go away. I'll go away to get some water to dump on your head." He figured that Maxie couldn't be justified in being too mad at him if he received a proper warning beforehand. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that the artificial brunet would still scream and curse at him, but it might be less severe than if he had done it without a warning. 

Maxie shifted to look at him, his eyes tired and squinted, which only made him look even more pissed off. "If you were going to do it then you would have done it by now. Now get out of my room. Why are you even in my room? Creep."

"To wake ya up, duh. I'm hungry and ready for breakfast, so either you're gettin' out of this bed yourself or I'm gonna make ya."

"Tough luck. You can pour as much water on me as you want but I refuse to give you the satisfaction of getting out of this bed, especially if it means if I wait long enough you'll starve to death. Now leave," he ordered and threw his final pillow at Archie, this time hitting his chest. Now, if it were a pillow filled with knives and bricks, then it would have done some damage even from Maxie's pathetic throw. Since it was made out of fluffy stuffing, it hit Archie's pecs and sadly fell to the floor.

Archie knew that Maxie was all talk, but taking water out of the equation allowed an even better idea to pop into his head. His grin and turned devilish as he quietly took a Pokeball from his belt loop. "Alright. Fine. Ya got me. I'll let ya sleep for a lil' longer," he started as he took a few steps to the door, eyeing the purple comforter on the ground and then to Maxie. "But ya can't sleep without a cover. I don't feel like grabbin' the one ya had and I know you don't wanna move, so I think I can help ya out here."

Maxie curiously eyed Archie as he spoke. What on earth was he talking about? His eyes only widened when he saw the blurry shape of a Pokeball being thrown into the air. A second later, his body was being crushed by the oozing purple body of his Muk. The bed creaked and Maxie shut his eyes tightly, letting out a pained noise. Archie was quick to take a picture of the sight with his PokeNav, snickering all the while. Maxie shot him a look that could kill, and Maxie most certainly would have killed the other if his arms weren't currently pinned by a giant sentient blob. Just like his trainer, Muk seemed amused by these turn of events.

"Archie!" he shouted with rage, not worrying about whether or not the neighbors could hear. He doubted it. The houses in Floaroma were pretty spaced out, theirs included. 

"What? Not warm enough for ya?"

Maxie was in no mood to play these games. "Archie, get this living sewage off of me!" he ordered and Archie merely shrugged. Muk made a sad noise and looked down at Maxie, but quickly looked away to avoid Maxie's killer glare. 

"He doesn't much appreciate name callin' like that. He's a thick boy but a sensitive soul." Archie strolled over to the side of the bed and patted Muk's gooey head like he was a furry Poochyena. 

"Do you honestly think I give even the smallest of fucks? Hell no! Get this garbage off of me!"

Muk made another sad noise and looked over to Archie. Archie tsked and shook his head, taking his Pokemon's side on this one. "Now, that ain't any way to talk to Muk."

Maxie rolled his eyes, then shut them tight in pain as Muk's heavy body continued to crush his own frail one. "Oh please. What does he want? An apology?" 

Muk made a noise in response and Archie snickered. "That's exactly what he wants," he interpreted. Maxie's loud and pained groan in response made Archie laugh louder. The man tried to wiggle out of under Muk's oozing body with all of his might, but no progress was made in his attempted escape. 

"I absolutely loathe you, Archie."

"Feeling's mutual. Now, if ya wanna stay under Muk all day then just keep on doing what you're doing."

Maxie let out another loud groan. "Ugh. Fine. I apologize for my rude behavior Muk."

Maxie was expecting to feel the great weight being lifted from his chest, but he shot daggers at Archie when nothing happened. "It wasn't sincere enough," Archie simply replied. 

"Are you serious?" Maxie asked, exasperated. 

"You tell me."

Maxie withheld the urge to let out another loud groan. If he wanted out of this predicament, then he was going to have to straighten up a little bit. It was hard to take a deep calming breath, let alone breathe, with the weight of Muk crushing him. Still, he somehow managed to bring his fury down a notch. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, Muk. You're not a living piece of sewage." He held his breath, hoping that his words would be enough for Muk to move off of him. Fortunately, that seemed to be the case. Muk made a pleased noise and then slowly oozed onto the floor by Archie's feet. Maxie sharply inhaled and sat up. 

"See? Was it so hard to be nice?" Archie taunted. 

"Fuck you." That was Maxie's immediate response. He rubbed his tired face and then ran a hand through his messy hair, grimacing at the shortness of it. "Why did you want me up anyway? You could have fixed your own damn breakfast."

"Yeah, well, there ain't shit in this place to eat. I was thinking that we needed to do some shopping today anyway. We need food and new clothes and maybe some other things too, like concealer that matches my skin tone, for example. 

"That was the second darkest shade they had, shut up. I tried," Maxie huffed and scooted to the edge of the bed. "I understand that we need supplies, but why must it be so early in the morning?"

"Ten till eight is not early. I consider that sleeping in." Maxie looked at Archie like he was a madman. "Plus, breakfast is a thing I want. I haven't had a decent one in a while, so what I'm thinking is we can go to Jubilife to eat and shop since they have a better variety of restaurants than this place. More stores too."

"While all of that does sound swell, I will also inform you that my ankle is in no condition to walk that far."

"Then we can just take our Crobats. It won't take that long to get there from here, unlike flying here from Canalave. Plus, it's normal for couples to have matching Pokemon."

Both of them grimaced at that term. "I hate that that's accurate. But just so you know my Crobat is far superior than yours."

Archie rolled his eyes. "You have no idea how much I want to battle you to prove you wrong, but we can't without drawing suspicion to ourselves. Now get ready. I'm real hungry." Archie gave Muk another pat on the head before returning him to his ball.

"All the more reason for me to take my time," Maxie grumbled under his breath as he stood up and stretched out. His back popped like a firecracker as he exited the room with Archie. Archie went off to the living room while Maxie headed straight for the bathroom to freshen up. 

Much to Archie's agony, Maxie took as much time as he wanted in the bathroom. It should not take a man forty-five minutes to get ready. While he waited, Archie read through the news on his PokeNav, seeing that the hunt for Team Aqua Leader Archie and Team Magma Leader Maxie was still plastered everywhere. On the bright side, it didn't look like the lead investigators had any idea where they were. Both teams had completely destroyed their hideouts, so the only information they had was from low ranking grunts they managed to catch. Such grunts were so low ranking they probably weren't even allowed into the supply closets without permission, let alone know where the whereabouts of the two most wanted men in Hoenn. 

After reading a few more articles, Archie couldn't take it anymore. It took him a whole five minutes to put on a decent shirt and pants, plus fixed his thick hair to look somewhat decent. He stood up from the couch and knocked loudly on the door to the bathroom. The shower hasn't ran this entire time, so Archie really could not understand what was taking Maxie so long. 

"Dude, I get you're a lonely, lonely man, but you can jack it some other time when I'm not hungry."

The lock made a "click" and then the door flung open inwardly. Maxie's expression was cold and disgusted. "Excuse you! I would never-"

"What the hell have you been doing in here then?" Archie cut him off. 

"Ugh! Can't you see?"

Archie looked at Maxie like he grew a second head. "What the hell are ya talking about?"

Maxie made a vague gesture to his hair. "I haven't had my hair this short since my mother took the liberties of cutting it. I lack the expertise to make it look even halfway decent." Archie's expression didn't change and that only prompted Maxie to let out yet another groan. "Why do I even bother? I knew you wouldn't understand."

"I understand that you're being a fucking priss if that's what you're going for." Archie crossed his arms defensively as Maxie threateningly pointed his comb at him. 

"I don't understand why you can't just go without me. The last thing I want to do is make myself seen right now."

"We need to keep up our image, that's why. You were the one who dug us into this stupid hole. Boyfriends, my ass."

"Oh shut up before I shove this comb up your ass."

"I'll shove it down your throat afterwards." This clearly wasn't a good morning for either of them. Maxie slammed the door in his face, but Archie had placed his foot in the doorway, preventing it from actually closing. "Look, I'm hungry and I'm sick of waiting. I'll give ya five more minutes. If you're ready by then, I'll trade ya Camerupt for Sharpedo while we're out."

Maxie looked at him quizzically. "For one, using Camerupt as a negotiating tool is nothing less than cruel. For two, give me some space and I'll be ready."

Archie nodded and took a step back, allowing Maxie to properly close the door. He stepped out to wait in the kitchen, and sure enough it was only a few more minutes before Maxie came back out, slipping his arms through the sleeves of a black cardigan as he approached Archie. Once the cardigan was properly adjusted, he held up Sharpedo's Pokeball for Archie to see. "I'm ready. Camerupt, if you will.

Archie nodded and pulled out Camerupt's Pokeball. Both men kept their eyes on one another as they made the exchange as if to prevent the other one from doing anything ballsy. Once the exchange was made, both of them looked incredibly relieved to have their partners back by their sides. 

"Now let's get going. You've kept me waiting long enough," Archie said as he opened up the front door. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Maxie was following him, which he was. He couldn't help but notice the strange look in his green eyes though. It was cold, but also mischievous. Archie didn't like it.

"Yes. I'm a bit peckish as well. Since you went through Jubilife on the way here I assume that you walked past some potential restaurants we could eat at. You can pick. My only request is no fast food. I don't have much of a stomach for greasy non-food."

"You don't have much of a stomach to begin with."

"Shut up."

With tensions higher than ever, the two men exited the house and threw out their Crobats. Both of them looked at each other with harsh glares, ready to attack given the command. Archie went over to his and patted his stomach and Maxie merely stood next to his. "Be nice you two," Archie said. "We're all friends here."

"Correct. We're all friends here," Maxie repeated through grit teeth. He hopped on to his Crobat with relative ease, but Archie was hesitant. After a moment, he finally hoped onto his Crobat as well, already clinging onto the poor creature like his life depended on it. Once they were up hundreds of feet in the air, it really did. "Let us be off."

With that command, both of the Crobats took to the sky. Much like how Maxie found it hard to look out into the open ocean, Archie couldn't look to the sky, or down to the ground for that matter. "Follow Maxie's Crobat. No fighting. We're stuck with them for a while," he mumbled quietly into Crobat's ear, then closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at his surroundings. His heart was racing only slightly faster than normal, and given Archie's fear of height-er-falling, he considered that better than normal. 

Crobat followed orders diligently. His eyes never left Maxie's back. Mumbles could he heard from the other man, but they were so quiet even his sensitive ears couldn't really pick up what he was saying. 

Once they were out of the boundaries of Floaroma and onto the route below, Crobat saw Maxie glance over his shoulder to look that them, his eyes cold and his face hard. 

"Haze," he calmly ordered his Crobat. Within an instant, the air was filled with thick, black clouds. Archie's Crobat let out a sound of distress and tried to fly up and out of the clouds, but the haze was traveling fast and it was traveling far. Archie's eyes snapped open, only to close again once the haze hit and burned his eyes. He buried the lower half of his face into Crobat's fur to help cut down on breathing in the substance, but even then he was getting choked. 

"Go down instead of up," Archie ordered through coughs. Crobat obeyed and quickly swooped down until they were out of the range of the haze. Archie cracked open his rage filled eyes. He was an idiot for thinking that Maxie would stay by his side without holding his beloved Pokemon hostage. "We're not gonna let that son of a bitch get away. Speed up and keep your eyes peeled. I'm taking back my order about being friends with them. We're takin' those fuckers down." 

Crobat made a noise to indicate that he understood the orders. His old body found it hard to fly with a big guy like Archie on his back, but he would push his limits for his owner, and that's exactly what he did. 

Maxie was camouflaged well in the dark haze. Without his red hair or normal red attire, he blended right in. Crobat's violet body was just as bad. Trying to spy him was difficult enough, but Archie's eyes were also filling up with tears from the gas burning his eyes. Crobat fortunately wasn't affected the same way as he was. The Pokemon was able to continue flying in such hazardous conditions. 

Crobat's flying sped up once he located the opposing Crobat. They were flying low as well. As the two gained some ground, well, air, Maxie glanced over again. Archie wiped his eyes on the back of his hand just in time to see that look in Maxie's eye. He was about to do issue another haze. "We're close. Acrobatics," Archie ordered. Crobat let out a screech and sped up, pushing his boundaries even further to preform the move. It was enough to graze against Maxie's back. The attack would have been a full on hit, but Maxie ordered his own Crobat to move up. However, now there was a sense of panic in his eyes. Archie was way too close for comfort. 

"Ha-"

"Acrobatics again!" This time, Archie's Crobat was able to hit the opposing Crobat full on before the air could be filled with haze again. Maxie's Crobat was knocked to the side, jostling his trainer as well. Maxie held on tight as he shot daggers at Archie. 

"Get rid of these nuisances. Air cutter," Maxie ordered. Crobat's wings had a hint of a glow on them as they made a slash in the air, causing a sharp wind to head right for Archie and his Crobat. Archie's Crobat didn't have enough time to get out of the way. Crobat screeched and Archie shouted when they were hit. Archie's grip slipped and he quickly clawed at Crobat's fur to stay on. He would apologize for it later. 

Archie's heart was racing. Another hit like that and there would be no doubt that he would be knocked out of the air. Crobat would still stand strong, but he doubted Crobat could hold his own against Maxie's Crobat since the other had a trainer to guide his movements. They couldn't let Maxie get away. He didn't want things to come down to this, but he didn't have much of a choice. "That son a bitch earned this. Use toxic. Keep on fighting until he's out of the air." Without hesitation, Crobat flew close enough to Maxie's. A violet, liquidy substance spouted from his mouth and soaked the opposing Crobat and Maxie as well. 

"Acrobatics, quick!" Maxie shouted. His Crobat's forcefully slammed into Archie's Crobat. The attack hit hard. Archie's grip was already not stable in the slightest, but this time it was enough to make Archie completely lose his grip. His heart beat against his chest as he grasped for the air. Unfortunately, he was too late. His hands were only able to clutch the air, which by no means helped him out in this scenario, nor any scenario really. 

Archie's heart practically stopped as he watched Crobat's body grow more distance. He really wished that he hadn't ordered the Pokemon to continue fighting Maxie. Falling from a hundred or so foot drop was not fun in the slightest. The wind felt like razors as it hit his back. The most he could do was curse Maxie's name and brace for the impact. When he last had the courage to look down it didn't appear that he was going to fall directly onto the hard and unforgiving ground. There was little chance of surviving a fate such as that. Rather, it looked like there were some trees that were going to break his fall, but such a fall wasn't going to be pleasant in the slightest. 

He shut his eyes tightly, ready for the pain to come. He heard Crobat screech again, but it sounded much closer than he would have expected. Something clamped around his ankle and his falling as ceased. The top of his head gently brushed against one of the top branches of a tree. Slowly, Archie opened his eyes and saw Crobat had caught him with his teeth. The Pokemon strained to stay flying in such an awkward position, but slowly he descended downward, gently laying Archie down on the ground. Once his owner was safe, Crobat perched itself onto a low hanging tree, looking completely exhausted. 

The only thing Archie could do for a solid minute was lay down and look at the sky as his heart rate slowed. He could have died. Maxie could have won. Thinking about how Maxie didn't hesitate to betray him like this sent a boiling rage through his body. He should have known better than to give him back Camerupt for the trip. 

Once the panic had flushed out of his system, Archie pulled himself to his feet. "You never listen to orders, now do ya?" he said to the Crobat. He walked over and patted his stomach. "Never change, ol' boy. Rest up. You deserve it." He returned Crobat back to his ball and placed it on his belt loop, then pulled out Mightyena's and threw him out. Archie's eyes narrowed as he heard the sounds of a distressed Crobat grow fainter and fainter. 

"We got a nerd to catch, boy. Sniff 'im out and make sure he doesn't get away," Archie ordered and Mightyena immediately got to work. His nose was trained to sniff out any Magma officials, so it only took a few short moments before he picked up a scent. He barked and took off into the wooded area of the route. Archie was quick to run after him. 

Given how Crobat's toxic had hit both Maxie's Crobat and Maxie himself, Archie doubted that either of them were in optimal condition for further escape. It was just a matter of finding where the bastard had landed, and based on how focused Mightyena was, it looked like the Pokemon knew exactly where that was. 

Within a few minutes, Mightyena's barking had picked up. It was frequent and loud, and Archie could see why. Standing just a few yards before them was Maxie, propping himself up against a tree. Crobat was gone, so he could only assume that he had fainted or was in bad health. 

Mightyena bounded for Maxie. The man could barely bring himself to stay standing against a tree. There was no way he would he able to fend off an angry Mightyena. Knowing this, Maxie looked like he was bracing for the attack, but right as Mightyena went to pounce on him, Archie drew him back to his ball. 

Archie's steps were heavy and loud from stepping on crunchy leaves and fallen twigs. His fists were clenched and his teeth grit. Mightyena looked like the better option of the two. 

"Now...now Archie-" Maxie sputtered. He had never been afraid of Archie, even in the times of his hottest rage, so stumbling over his words was possibly an affect from the poison coursing through his veins. 

Archie didn't stop to hear him out though. Once he had made it over to the man, Archie grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close, then quickly and forcefully slammed him into the tree he used as guidance. Maxie's cry was shrill and pained, but Archie didn't even wince. He felt like he could do it twenty more times, but he had some self control. 

Archie flattened an arm and pressed it against the upper part of Maxie's chest, pinning him against the tree. Already it looked like the toxic was taking its toll on the man. His normal pale face was ghostly white. His eyes were unfocused as they looked at Archie's furious face. Maxie couldn't even put up a fight. The most he could do was weakly wrap his hands around Archie's arm. The strength to even attempt to push him off was nonexistent. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Archie shouted, making Maxie wince. "I should'a tossed you off the boat and personally held your head under water when I had the chance if I knew you were gonna pull this shit on me as soon as I gave you an inch of elbow room."

"Held my...don't your DARE speak to me like that," Maxie shot back, his dropping eyes trying their very best to give him a sharp glare. His hands tensed up around Archie's arm and he finally found the power to try and push him off, but he couldn't so much as make Archie budge. 

"Has it...has it not occurred to you that you're the...the last person I want to be trapped with? The morning's events...everything will only get worse for both of us."

Archie put more force behind his arm, making Maxie hiss in pain. "So you were willing to run away just because I was a lil' mean to ya this morning? Is that what I'm fucking hearing right now?"

Maxie shook his head. He mumbled something in return, but it was too incoherent for Archie to understand. Archie was losing him, so he didn't even bother to go further in this piss poor interrogation. He backed off of Maxie, watching the man collapse to the ground. His eyes fluttered, trying his best to stay conscious, but the effects of the poison was too strong to fight. Archie had half a mind to kick him while he was down to release his built up anger, but the sight of the great Maxie on the ground, too weak to even keep his eyes open, was sufficient enough. He did take a step back to kick a fallen branch though, just to get it out of his system. 

Toxic was one hell of a move. Without proper treatment in a timely manner, Pokemon were bound to faint. The same could be said for people. If it stays untreated for a day or so, then the poisoning would become serious and even deadly. However, since it has only been in Maxie body for a few minutes, Archie was in by no means a rush to get him properr attention. He had half a mind to leave him where he lay. He even took a few steps away from his enemy, fully intent on leaving him there for the wild Pokemon, but his conscience got the better of him. Plus, if he went back without Maxie, the neighbors would be wondering where his "boyfriend" went to. He may be able to make up an excuse that lasted a couple of hours, but not a lifetime. Well, he could always say they broke up, but that would look way too suspicious. 

With a long, aggravated sigh, Archie looked down at the mess of a man know as the great Maxie. He was about to take a step forward, but he stopped and tensed when a sudden cold chill ran down his back. It felt like someone had stuck nails in a freezer and left them there over night. Now that they were out of this figurative freezer, someone decided to drag them down Archie's back. He shook off the feeling and quickly turned around. He knew Sinnoh was cold, but the temperature shift in the air was sudden, unnatural even. He didn't remember seeing any ice types in the area either. It doesn't make sense as to why they would be here to begin with. 

His frustration had been pushed aside for uneasiness for the time being. As much as he just wanted to leave Maxie here to rot, he bent down and picked the man up bridal style. If someone sees them, he could just say that Maxie was having a bad reaction to a poison sting or something that could easily be blamed on a wild Pokemon. 

Archie knew that once they were out of the route and back to the safety of their home, something would have to be done about Maxie. There was no way in hell that he was going to take care of the bastard. He was finding it hard enough to look down at the man without feeling like he needed to throw him into the nearest pool of water. But maybe he didn't have to take care of Maxie though. As much as Archie didn't like the plan he had brewing in his mind, it was better than any alternative. He could deal with the embarrassment that comes with it later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!!!! As always, you guys are awesome!! This chapter was originally going to be way longer, but after a little bit of debate I decided that it was probably for the best to split what I have written in half. I like to keep my chapters around 5k words after all. Plus, I feel like what's going to happen next deserves it's own special chapter rather than being clumped in with this one. 
> 
> As always, feel free to leave any questions, comments, or concerns in the comments! You can also leave them in my blog authorazumarill.tumblr.com if you want! Keep on being awesome guys!!!
> 
> Next time: Hostages have a heart to heart.


	6. No Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo gets a do over.

Maxie wished he were dead. He would regret thinking this later, but for the time being he wished that Archie would have snapped his neck or punched a hole in his skull during the fit of rage he barely remembered witnessing. His chilly body was riddled with aches and pains. His stomach felt like it wanted to jump out of his body all together. As the leader of Team Magma, he's had his fair share of horrible headaches, but this one truly takes the cake. The light from the window was proving to be too much to his sensitive head. He pulled the cover his his head and rolled over to his side, back facing the window. 

His eyes snapped open when he realized that this was not the woods they were just in. How did he get back? Archie surely didn't...

Maxie groaned and pushed himself up on his elbow before finding it too hard to keep up and then fell back into his pillow. Not knowing what else to do, he shut his eyes again and tried to cancel out the world, but the soft pitter patter of feet hitting the floor caught his attention. When he opened his eyes, he nearly jumped back when he saw a Pokemon staring right at him. 

Admittedly, this Pokemon was far from threatening. A round body, big floppy ears that would put a Buneary to shame, and a glitter in otherwise charcoal eyes was the epitome of cute and adorable. 

Although cute, the Azumarill standing before him looked as concerned as a mother that just watched her son back flip into a patch of cacti. 

"...the hell are you?" Maxie murmured so softly even he could barely hear his voice. Azumarill huffed and held out a small bowl of pecha berries for him to take. He looked at the bowl curiously, then to the Azumarill again. She made an impatient motion for him to take it and since he didn't feel like getting hit in the face with a bubblebeam, he took the bowl. He didn't feel like eating, but he knew that this was probably the amount of berries he needed to eat in order for the effects of the poisoning to subside. It wasn't fair. A Pokemon could eat one berry and feel fine within minutes. A human had to eat five or six berries and would feel fine in a few hours. Maxie was a fan of instant gratification, so this was a special kind of torture for him. 

With a little bit of effort, Maxie pushed himself up to a sitting position and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. He took a bite out of one of the pecha berries and had to admit it was sweet, fresh, and perfect all around. It was hard to enjoy his food feeling the beady eyes of the Azumarill peering at him. "Thank you. Now shoo," he ordered and waved the Pokemon off. He had no doubt this was Archie's Pokemon, even though he had no idea what Archie would be doing with such a non-threatening Pokemon. 

Azumarill didn't leave though. Instead, she grabbed a glass of water from the side table with her two nubby hands and held it out for Maxie to take. This action only raised his curiosity further. He could understand the bowl of pecha berries, but making sure he was hydrated made him feel like she was wanting to take care of him. Her jingly voice sounded impatient, so he took the glass to appease her. 

To test the waters with his hypothesis, he glanced over at the window and then to the Pokemon. "Would you care to close the blinds?" Azumarill nodded and scampered over to the window. Within a few seconds, the blinds were drawn and the room became all the more bearable. As appreciative as he was, he couldn't help but feel as though he stepped into some kind of alternative time line. 

"Did Archie tell you to take care of me?" he asked and the Pokemon nodded proudly. That didn't set right with Maxie. He wasn't some kind f charity case, especially when Archie was the one who put him in this position. He couldn't vent his anger toward Archie since he wasn't in the room, so it looked like the next best thing was the Azumarill. "Well, I don't need your help. If Archie didn't want me in this state then he would have never poisoned me." 

After finishing up a second pecha berry, Maxie scooted over to the edge of the bed. His body was shaky and fought every movement he wanted to make. He wasn't even entirely for sure what he planned on doing once he was up on his feet, but he would figure it out. All he wanted to do now was to get on his feet. Azumarill's jingly voice sounded in protest as she stood at the side of the bed, blocking his path. Maxie narrowed his eyes at the creature. "Move."

Azumarill shook her head. The light in her tail glowed as she raised it threateningly. It was impossible for a face like that to look anything other than adorable, but Maxie could tell that she didn't want to put up with his shit. Her cheeks were puffed, her little arms crossed, and her her tail looked like it was going to hit him if he made a wrong move. Knowing that this wasn't a fight he would be able to win, Maxie groaned and scooted back. "Why must you water fanatics ruin my life on the daily?" he grumbled to himself as he lied back down in his comfy pillows. Since he cooperated, Azumarill immediately eased up and lowered her tail. 

Maxie snuck back under the covers and peered at the Pokemon, tugging the blanket close to his body. "So what is it that you want me to do?"

Azumarill pressed her nubby hands together and rested them on the side of her head. She closed her eyes and imitated a snoring sound just in case Maxie didn't get the hint. He did and the action was very necessary. "I'll go back to sleep here in a moment," he mumbled and reached out to take another berry in his clammy hand. Azumarill's face softened and she made a pleased noise as Maxie ate the berry. Pecha berries have never been a favorite of his, but he supposed that they were tolerable if it meant he would get better. After another moment, he finished eating the bowl and placed it on the nightstand. As he settled down, Azumarill took it and scampered out of his room. The sense of uneasiness never left Maxie. It was...strange, to say the least. Azumarill was the last Pokemon other than Camerup the expected Archie to have. That, and he was curious as to where Archie was. 

Some of the strangeness of the situation faded as the days passed by. Azumarill was turning out to be a lovely Pokemon. She made sure Maxie was well fed, hydrated, and rested, and admittedly that round face was growing on him. Growing on him like a tumor, but still, he found himself giving her head a pat every so often. 

He became very familiar with the four walls of his room during the next few days. Azumarill kept him on very strict bed rest while he recovered from his poisoning. He was only allowed up to use the bathroom. Even then, when he peaked a look inside the living room he never saw Archie. At first he was convinced that Archie had high tailed it out of there, a very hypocritical move on his part, but he knew better than to believe that. Later on he would hear signs of life in the small house. Pots would clatter in the kitchen, Archie would curse out a "freak of nature" at night, which Maxie could only assume was the Bidoof that Mr. Anderson had warned him about, and around the same time every night he would hear the faint sounds of someone's voice that wasn't Archie's. Since they didn't have a TV, or at least Maxie didn't think Archie would go out and buy a TV while he was on bed rest, Maxie could only assume that Archie had a show he watched on his PokeNav. 

No matter, it felt incredibly strange that Archie hasn't so much as poked his head in his room to mess with him, to torment him, to kick him while he was down, the list could go on. The only thing that Maxie had interacted with was Azumarill. Although she was nice, the anticipation of hearing Archie's ridicule was torturous all on its own. 

Finally, after what Maxie believed to have been the fourth day after being poisoned, he felt like himself again. All of his strength hadn't returned and his face was still a nasty shade of white, but he could stand on his own two feet without the need for assistance. He didn't know how much he took walking for granted until he was stuck in bed for days at a time. Now that he was in stable condition, Azumarill had given him permission to get out of bed and walk around a little bit. That permission being she didn't threaten him with hitting him with her tail. 

Maxie wasn't afraid of Archie, but the lack of contact he had with the man was rather unsettling. He refused to show it though. With his chest puffed out and his head held high, he walked out of his bedroom and into the living room, Azumarill scampering by his side just to make sure he would be okay. 

For the first time in nearly a week, he saw Archie. The man was sitting on the couch, a deck of cards were spread out in front of him on the coffee table. He looked like he was in the middle of a game of solitaire. Archie didn't so much as glance up at Maxie when he entered the room. Maybe he didn't notice him? How dare he not recognize the presence of the great Maxie! Maxie was personally offended by that. 

Maxie leaned against the wall and cleared his throat to get Archie's attention. Archie didn't so much as glance up at him. Normally Archie's silence would be music to Maxie's ears, but right now, it was infuriating. 

"So you have nothing to say to me now, huh? Is that what I'm witnessing right now?" As expected, no response came from Archie. A little color came back to Maxie's face, but the red on his face was due to rage building in his body. Azumarill didn't look too thrilled with the man either. 

With a huff, Maxie walked past Archie and looked in the kitchen. His narrowed eyes widened in shock when he saw the counter filled with all kinds of tasty looking food either in see through containers or wrapped up with seran wrap. The food didn't stop there though. He looked in the fridge and saw that all of the shelves were filled with food. Some of the food looked like it came straight from the grocery store, which Maxie only assumed was Archie's doing, but the rest were cooked meals and baked desserts. Most of them looked like they were tampered with. Did the neighbors drop off all of this food? Duh, who else would? The real question is when did they do this. Maxie didn't recall hearing anything during the past few days. 

Maxie closed the fridge and stepped back out into the living room. He cleared his throat again, this time hesitating for a moment before speaking. "Archie..." Maxie started, only to stop himself when he saw the man had no interest in listening to him. Maybe his fury came from not being able to talk to another person for a few days? Maybe it came from thoughts that he was the victim here and Archie needed to be more mature and apologize to him? Probably the second one. 

"You poison me and now you're ignoring me. Absolutely unbelievable." Archie cocked his head at that, but shook it off and remained silent. "Fine. Be like that then." With that, Maxie stomped off back to his room, slamming the door behind him in a fit of melodramatic rage. He went straight to his bed, not even bothering to lock his door behind him. Mainly he forgot, but he also wasn't worried about Archie coming in considering he was being served a nice dose of the silent treatment. He felt as though that was highly uncharacteristic for the loud and outgoing man, but that only made the silent treatment worse. The worst thing about it was Maxie probably gave Archie the reaction he wanted. 

Maxie sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes shut tight as he forced himself to cool down. He never thought that he would be so angered so easily, but he guessed his emotions had only built up over the days he was trapped in bed. He didn't really have anything else to do other than think about how much he despised Archie. 

Azumarill's jingly voice sounded furious from the living room. Maxie opened his eyes and looked at the wall as if he could see through it, but obviously, he could not. 

"Don't give me the grief," he heard Archie spit out, followed by a "thwack!" and a shout of pain. Maxie couldn't help but grin as he could only imagine how hard Azumarill had hit her owner. 

His grin quickly faded when the sounds of a struggle filled the tense air. The couch creaked, something hit the coffee table, and Archie was shouting "Hey, hey! Let go!" Oh no. Azumarill better not. Maxie liked that Pokemon! He didn't want her to ruin it by doing what he thought she was doing. 

Unfortunately, it looked like the friendship between Maxie and Azumarill had ended when the door shot open. Azumarill had taken charge and had her tail wrapped around Archie's wrists. She released him once she threw the heavy man into the room, making Maxie's brows shoot up in surprise upon seeing such strength. Archie staggered forward, almost losing his footing but quickly catching himself. He turned on his heels, ready to bolt to the door, but Azumarill beat him to it. She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her by wrapping her tail around the knob. Archie took the knob into his own hands and tried with all of his might to open the door back up, even placing his foot against the wall as leverage, but to no avail. 

"Azumarill, open up! I'm not playing these games!" he ordered and slammed a fist against the door. The door cracked open a second later, but before Archie could take advantage of it and throw himself into freedom, Azumarill blasted his face with a bubblebeam, forcefully knocking him off of his feet before slamming the door once again.

"Dammit!" he groaned and sat up, wiping the water off of his face with his sleeve. Instead of standing up, Archie just scooted over to sit with his back against the door, knocking the back of his head against it twice out of frustration. 

Maxie blinked, very unsure about how he should feel about the events that just unfolded before his eyes. On one hand it was absolutely hilarious to see Archie get his ass handed to him by a Pokemon such as Azumarill, but on the other hand, it looked like he was locked in the same room with the last person he wanted to see right now. It was like being stranded with him on the boat, but the most recent events only made the tension in the air even more thick and unbearable. 

Neither of the men looked at each other, let alone spoke to one another. Maxie looked at his red socks and Archie looked up at the plain ceiling. The minutes felt like hours as they slowly ticked by. Even without the absence of a clock, both men knew that they had been sitting in silence for around an hour before Archie finally caved. Azumarill wasn't going to let them out if they kept the silent treatment up. 

"Why'd ya do it?" he asked sharply and without warning. His voice caught Maxie off guard. His green eyes widened before narrowing again. this time, it was he who gave Archie the cold shoulder. Archie knocked his head against the door again. "She's not gonna let us out unless we talk."

Maxie hated that he was right. He grit his teeth and tightened his grip on the thick comforter. "Why do you think I did it?" he rebutted, softly and coldly. "Words cannot describe how much I loathe you. Running away with a man that I absolutely despise..." He shook his head. "I should have known better than to think that such a ridiculous plan would be beneficial to either of us."

"But we made it out of Hoenn and the coppers have no idea where we are though."

"Yes, but at what cost? Both of us were perfectly able to escape by ourselves. Teaming up with you has been absolutely maddening. Despite being in this house for only a day at the time, I felt like I was in my own specially made prison. When I saw a chance for escape...could you really blame me for taking it?"

Archie stayed silent for a second as he thought. "Yep. I totally can." Maxie was shocked to hear that answer. "I get your justification, but we've lost the luxury of running away from our problems. We've used all of our running away cards on getting out of Hoenn. Now, whatever we have to deal with, we have do to it head on. I hate you too, but I also recognize that we don't have much of a choice in anything anymore."

"It doesn't have to be like that though," Maxie quickly countered. "The whole point in escaping Hoenn was to continue our lives as free men. I don't see what is so liberating about being trapped in a town where the neighbors think we're a lovely couple."

"Floaroma Town is much nicer than prison, thank you very much. It felt like a jail during the first and second days, yeah, but after talking to the people here for the past week it's actually pretty nice. I think we have a chance of blending in."

"That's not my point!" Maxie's grip on the comforter grew tighter to the point his knuckles were turning white. His anger toward Archie prevented his mind from properly filtering his words, so the next thing to come out of his mouth was the first thing on his mind. "I should be rebuilding the world with Groudon's power as we speak! I, the great Maxie, should be-"

"Get over it!" Archie shouted and shot to his feet so quickly Maxie recoiled slightly. "Aqua and Magma, our teams are dead. They're not asleep, ready to be awakened by the power of the orbs. They're not on call. They're dead. Our missions are dead. Everything we have spent the past few years of our lives building and leading are gone! And honestly, that's for the best." Archie's shoulders slumped slightly as he leaned back against the door once more. "We both only wanted the best for the world, but our plans were only going to destroy it."

"Excuse me. YOUR plan was going to do such a thing," he huffed. This time it was his turn to get on his feet as he pointed an accusatory finger at Archie. "My plan was going to be beneficial for humanity. Without the sea, people would be able to make claim to previously useless land. The world's overpopulation problem, along with plenty of other problems such as food and land shortages, would have been solved!"

"But Groudon would have killed humanity off!" Archie shot back, taking a defensive stance. "You can't have a overpopulation problem if the population is dead! What do you think the heatwave Groudon caused would have done long term? The lava used to form new land would have killed anything in its way. Whoever was left were probably bound to choke to death from the gas and debris in the air from whatever volcanoes Groudon set off."

"Oh! So I'm in the fault here! And flooding the world was going to be beneficial for humanity how? You were essentially wanting to kill off the world's population in one go!"

"And has it never occurred to you that maybe I was?" Archie stated, his face red and his body tense, but now that those words hung in the air he looked away from Maxie. Maxie's hand dropped back down to his side, unable to find the right words, assuming that they existed to begin with. He knew that Archie's plans to expand the seas would be detrimental to humanity, but he never thought that those plans were...intended. 

Archie let out a deep exhale and slide down against the door until he was sitting on the floor again, his elbows resting on his lazily drawn up knees. "Humans had no right surviving as long as we have. I mean, look at what we've done. We've been destroying the planet with endless wars, colonization, industrialization, so forth and so on. Humanity didn't deserve to prosper at the expense of Pokemon and the world. I thought that it would have only been fitting to end everything as it began. I...I know just how wrong I was now."

"Archie..." Maxie breathed out, still trying to think of what exactly to say. "I...I will admit that there were miscalculations in my plan. I understood that people were going to die, but it wasn't projected to be a significant number. A few hundred lives were going to be lost for the benefit of millions. Your plan...I never realized that your scheme was intended to be as destructive as it was. I only assumed that you had a severe lack of planning and future sight."

"Heh." Archie knocked the back of his head against the door once more. "I knew damn well what I was doin'. Shelly, Matt, the grunts, they didn't have a damn clue. I thought I was going to get away with it, but I should'a known that Shelly was gonna catch on. I still can't get that angry look of hers out of my head."

Now that Maxie had a moment to process the initial shock out of his system, he straightened up and clasped his hands behind his back. "And what am I suppose to do about it? Are you wanting pity for your psychopathic ways?" he spat. 

Archie shook his head. "Not in the slightest, Maxie. I know that what I've done is irredeemable. I've accepted that. The most I can do now is to try and move on. The weight of nearly endin' the world will forever be on my shoulders, so I plan on letting that weight keep me stagnant. I refuse to let it crush me, but I also refuse to fight it further. I can't do no more harm to the world if I stay where I am now."

Maxie's frown deepened the more he listened to Archie's words. He didn't feel guilty about his actions, but he did recognize that wanting to unless the power of Primal Groudon may have been a mistake. If he settled for a regular Groudon then its destruction wouldn't have been nearly as devastating. Surely that was the case. "So that's it. You feel guilty and you decided to take me down with you."

Archie closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. "I'm convinced that you're straight up deaf. We nearly destroyed the world, Maxie! You can deny it all you want, but the fact of the matter is those people hunting us down have every right to be doing so. It's just...I would rather do the world a favor and disappear on my own terms. Like it or not, this is a second chance for us, and in order for this second chance to work we have to tolerate each other."

Without shifting the expression on his face, Maxie sat down on the edge of the bed once again, looking away from Archie. "I suppose..." he started but stopped himself before finding the balls to continue, "I suppose it was rather impulsive of me to escape from your sight given the first chance. Running away from you, starting my own new life all on my on, my brain considered to it be possible. In the long term, scheme of things, I hate to admit it, but we do have a solid alibi on our belts."

"No kiddin'. The neighbors have been buggin' me all week with welcome to the neighborhood gifts. They were askin' where you were and I told them you had a bad reaction to a poison sting. That only prompted them to bring by even more gifts. All of it is food, and good food at that. But still, the neighbors don't suspect a damn thing."

"Exactly." Maxie let out a long exhale, thinking of what he could say next. However, Archie beat him to the punch. 

"How 'bout a do over?" he offered and Maxie blinked in surprise. "Our teams are behind us and we're kinda stuck with each other now. We could keep on fightin' and acting like a couple of kids, but I think that after having our asses handed to us by a couple of kids, we need to start acting like adults. I can't do this without you." Archie's face scrunched up in disgust. "Bleh. I think I threw up in my mouth a lil' bit."

Maxie rolled his eyes and moved his hands to his side. For a man that wanted to be mature, he still had plenty of immature moments. Case in point, what just happened. Still, Maxie was picking up what Archie was throwing down. "It will be hell to tolerate you, but as you said, we don't have another choice. I agree to this do over." With the hand that was out of Archie's sight, Maxie crossed his fingers before he made his agreement. 

Archie looked relieved hearing those words. "Sweet."

"I do have one condition though."

"Which is?"

"Stop attacking me! You're slammed me against a wall, you've poisoned me, your Mightyena almost took out my throat, and-"

"Yeah yeah. I'll stop doing that shit. We're...cool now, so I guess I kinda have to stop that shit anyway." The duo being "cool" was downplaying it a bit. They both knew that the hatred they felt toward one another wasn't immediately going to disperse the minute after they made their agreement, but maybe, just maybe, tolerating one another will be easier given some time. 

Archie's full weight rested against the door. He knocked on it and tilted his head up. "Can we come out now, girlie?"

Without warning, the door flew open as it was pulled by the Azumarill on the other side. Archie let out a yelp as he tumbled backwards since he was unprepared to take his weight off of the door. Maxie covered his mouth with his hand to suppress devious laughter. They may be "starting over" but witnessing Archie's pain was still possibly the best comedy gold Maxie could experience. 

Archie got to his feet and rubbed the back of his head. 

"I see that you're not the trainer in this relationship, huh?" Maxie slightly commented and moved to lazily cross his arms over his chest. Archie shot him a sharp look before easing up a bit. 

"Yeah, well, she was my ma's Pokemon, so I'm really not her trainer to begin with. I'm more like her kid than anything else." Without further elaborating, Archie took a few steps out of the room before turning fully to look back at Maxie. "So, there's uh, a lot of food in the kitchen that I'm havin' some trouble eating all by my lonesome. You hungry?"

Maxie was somewhat offended that his words didn't get the reaction out of Archie that he wanted, but he had some new information on the man that he could toy with in his brain. Azumarill being his mother's Pokemon certainly did explain why she had such a caring yet demanding personality, but that only arose new questions that Maxie didn't plan on pressing. He was taken aback by Archie's somewhat nice gesture, but he soon eased up and stood up. "After eating nothing but pecha berries for the past few days, I am ready for some actual food. Hopefully these Sinnohians know how to cook."

"Most of it's a lil bland, but I picked up some shit when I went shopping that makes it so much better." Archie patted Azumarill on the head as he walked by her and went straight to the kitchen. Maxie had never seen someone so excited to eat. 

As he walked out of the room, he looked down at Azumarill, then up to see that Archie was out of sight. Since he was in the clear, his face softened up and he patted Azumarill's squishy head before straightening up once more as he strode into the kitchen to see just how good the food was for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!!!! As always, you all are awesome and I want each and every one of you to find twenty dollars on the sidewalk the next time you go out. This chapter was finished a little more quickly than the others simply because half of it was already typed up when I ended up making the decision of splitting the last chapter in half. Plus, I have a couple of essays I'll need to write since finals are coming up quick and my focus needs to be placed on school for the next week or so. So here's something for you guys in the meantime!
> 
> Feel free to leave any questions/comments/concerns in either the comments or the blog to this fic authorazumarill.tumblr.com Also! As of right now 11/23/18, I'm currently hosting a hardenshipping fic giveaway, so check out the blog if you want a chance to win a free fic! If this one goes well, I'll probably be doing fic giveaways more frequently :D
> 
> Next time: A new moon in Sinnoh is something to fear.


	7. New Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie needs to put his Mightyena on a leash.
> 
> Also, thank you for the amazing art pokenerdart.tumblr.com!

"I know it's not as big as you were hopin', dude, but at least you're gettin' something." Archie rested his chin on his head and looked down at the pouty Pokemon before him. Sharpedo didn't look the slightest bit happy even though this was the first time he was out of his ball in probably three weeks. The pond on Route 204 was by no means luxurious to a water type other than a Magikarp. It was probably just as cramped for Sharpedo as his Pokeball was, and the look in the Pokemon's eyes just confirmed Archie's theory. With a sad sigh, Archie reached out and petted Sharpedo's rough skin as though he was a soft Skitty. "If it make ya feel any better, I don't like this place either. I'm sorry, buddy. I promise that as soon as I see the sea again I'm gonna let you and your buddies out and you can swim as much as your heart desires." 

Since Archie didn't want to further torture his friend, he pulled out his Pokeball and returned him to the cramped space. He pressed the ball against his chest as he lied down against the cool ground, looking up at the cloudy night sky. There was no moon in sight, but the stars that were visible gave off just enough light for Archie to not feel creeped out while he was out on the route by himself. "I should've released ya back in Hoenn. You don't need to be punished like this. Arceus, I'm being a mopey piece of shit again." He knew that he had to stop looking in the past, but it was impossible not to. He royally messed up. He felt that if his past wanted to haunt him, then it was completely justified. It's been nearly a month since they left Hoenn, but it was just as hard to shake the thoughts from his head now as it was during his first few days in Sinnoh. 

Fortunately for Archie, he was able to take a temporary break from his thoughts when he heard the Mightyena bark and Crobat gave an annoyed screech in return. He rose to his feet to see what all of the commotion was. Just a few feet away was Crobat hanging from a low branch and underneath him was Muk taking a nice little snooze. Mightyena, however, was running all over the place, barking up a storm all the while. His head was tilted to the sky and it looked as though he was chasing something, but no matter how hard he tried, Archie couldn't see a damn thing. It was a dark night, sure, but his eyes were adjusted well enough to make out shadows at least. "Oi! Calm down, boy." 

Mightyena, however, did not calm down. He did stop dashing around, at least, but the Pokemon was still on high alert. His ears were pulled back, his teeth bared, and a low, threatening growl sounded from the back of his throat, warding off whatever laid in wait in the dense tree lines. Archie scratched the back of his head in confusion. He didn't hear anything and he didn't see anything, so he had no idea why Mightyena was acting this way. Come to think of it, Mightyena was always on high alert when they spent more than a few minutes in Route 204. None of his other Pokemon seemed to notice anything. Normally Crobat was the most observant one of his crew. 

"Alright, alright. I wanna go on and put an end to this nonsense." He patted Mightyena on the back and looked out to the tree lines. The air was cool and it made him really regret investing in a bunch of long sleeve shirts instead of a warm jacket. Well, a warmer jacket than the one he already had. "Show me what you see, boy."

Without further instruction, Mightyena bolted into the forest. His body was old, but he was still able to carry on like he was an energetic Poochyena pup. His movements were swift and his body was agile enough to weave through the trees. Whatever Mightyena was focused on, it must have been on the move as well. 

Mightyena was able to wade through the trees like a cool summer breeze. Archie, on the other hand, was finding it difficult to keep up. He knew he was getting old, but this was ridiculous. His stamina was still able to keep up with the pooch, but the trees were the real problems here. The outskirts of the forest were fine and easy to navigate through. Once they ventured deeper into the woods, the trees became denser to the point he was getting hit in the face with a low hanging branch every time he took a step forward. Maxie would be laughing his ass off if he saw Archie in such a state, clumsily trying to make it through the dense forest to make his Pokemon feel better. 

Honestly, he should have thought this plan out a little more. The leaves of the trees blocked out what little light the stars had to offer. New moons were always tricky to navigate with, so right now Archie found himself at a disadvantage. He couldn't see, he didn't know the terrain, and most importantly, he had no idea where Mightyena ran off to. He pushed one last branch out of his face before finally coming to a stop. "Mightyena! Come back!" he shouted out into the dark forest that might as well have been a spaceless void. Archie wasn't for sure if it was the cool air or the overall creepiness of the environment, but something was giving him a serious case of the chills. Now, Archie Aogiri has never been afraid of anything, but this was pretty unsettling. He didn't like the uneasiness in his gut as he pushed himself forward, this time at a slower, walking pace. 

"C'mon ol' boy! Get back here!" he called out again. Tracking down whatever Mightyena saw would be easier with the Pokemon by his side, after all. He should have thought about that earlier.

With a groan of frustration, he pulled out his PokeNav and turned on the flashlight function of the device. It didn't have much battery left to begin with. The flashlight was bound to drain the dying battery quickly, but hopefully Mightyena would be back by his side before then. 

The flashlight didn't prove to be much use though. The only difference now is that he could see the branches before he inevitably hit them. A few chirping Kricketots scuttled away as Archie stepped closer into their territory. "Mightyena!" he bellowed out. Now he was rightfully worried. He couldn't hear the faint sounds of the Pokemon's footsteps anymore. Then he heard a bark off in the distance and he let out a sigh of relief. He was still within a reasonable distance, but the lack of previous response still had Archie worried. What was going on? 

Archie tread carefully, continuing to call out for Mightyena. He heard one more bark before the Pokemon fell radio silent again. Finally, after what felt like traveling a mile through the dense forest (even though that was a significant exaggeration), Archie finally caught sight of his Pokemon. Mightyena laid on the dead leaf covered ground, his paws and tail twitching ever so slightly. His harsh and threatening growls were exchanged for pitiful whimpers that made Archie's hear ache. "Ol' boy!" Archie was quick to rush over to his side. He knelt down and patted his side as he shined a light over his body. He didn't have any injuries on the side he could see. It was pretty safe to say the same for the other side since he didn't see any blood on the ground, let alone signs of a fight. 

His attention soon turned to Mightyena's face. It looked pained despite the lack of external injuries. His eyes were shut tight and Archie gently patted his upper neck in the hopes that the Pokemon would give him some kind of response. "Mighty...c'mon boy give me something." He was twitchy and breathing, so at least he was still alive. However, the fact that he was unresponsive was really worrisome. He shined his light frantically through the area, trying to figure out what could have caused this. Did a Budew use sleep powder on him? If it did then why was he whimpering so much? Archie couldn't see anything through the trees.

Until he did. 

Two glowing blue orbs shined bright in the pitch black night. Archie was quick to turn his light toward them the second they came to his attention. The millisecond the light landed on the creature hiding in the darkness, his PokeNav died. Of course it would. The universe knew just how much he hated horror movies and now the universe placed him in one, tropes and all. 

Archie was quick to rise to his feet. His PokeNav fell to the ground as he clenched his fists and planted his feet firmly on the ground. Without any Pokemon able to fight on land at his disposal, it looked like he was going to be fighting a Pokemon himself. "Oi! If ya wanna fight, then c'mon out an' I'll give ya a fight!" 

The lights vanished.

The temperature in the air significantly dropped, making Archie's arms tremble. At least, that's what he's going to blame it on. He tightened his fists, eyes frantically darting around to see if he could spy something, anything. The leaves didn't rustle, twigs on the ground didn't snap, but he knew that something was moving, lurking in the shadows. Surely it wasn't a Gengar or another ghost Pokemon. 

The icy cold touch on the back of his neck made him freeze in place. His knuckles were turning white. He had to get over himself and act fast. With a sudden movement, he spun around, his fist ready to make contact with the creature behind him. His eyes only widened when his efforts went unrewarded. He stumbled in place and stinted his eyes to the darkness. There...it wasn't behind him? 

His eyes shot to the sound of rustling leaves barely five feet away from him. The shining blue lights were back again, this time illuminating a red collar and a swaying white structure on top of the creature's head. It almost looked like smoke, but Archie knew better than to think that. He also didn't have much time to think about the physique of the creature. All he knew is that it was something he has never seen before. 

Another light caught his attention. This time, it was larger, yet duller. Violet light glowed in its hand. It looked like it was a shadow ball, but shadow balls were darker and didn't present a lot of light. The creature pulled its arm back and then tossed it. Quick on his feet, Archie jumped out of the way. The ball hit a tree behind him, bursting into hundreds of flickering lights before it dispersed into the air. "Gonna have to try harder than that!"

Archie should have kept his mouth shut. Right as he went to charge at the creature, in the blink of an eye it was gone. Archie stopped and looked wildly around. Where did it go? His breath was caught in his chest when he saw the familiar violet light from the corner of his eye, only inches from where he stood. His eyes went wide as he turned around, just in time for him to get a face full of the attack.

Instantly, he was knocked to the ground. His head ached and he tried his best to sit up, but his body refused to cooperate with him. His muscles were tense, his nails digging into the ground below him as an icy cold feeling spread through his body. His vision became blurry and distorted. The world swirled around him. Blue eyes stared down at him as he let out a loud shout of anguish. 

/////

The screech was a horrible sound. Much more horrible than anything a Crobat could ever muster. Maxie winced, his grip around the broomstick tightened as his eyes narrowed on the creature standing before him. Mr. Anderson has warned him of the Bidoof that terrorized this side of town the moment he agreed to rent out the place, and for the past month the deranged old man proved to have some points. Bidoofs were not supposed to grow very large, but Bucky was a little smaller than Maxie's large Mightyena. He must know when trash day is because every morning after one of the two (normally Archie) took out the trash, most of it would be scattered in the yard. 

Tonight, Maxie was tired of letting this pathetic Pokemon get the best of him. He was the great Maxie Matsubusa, the same man that managed to awaken Groudon. A little Bidoof should be no match for him. 

Thus, a trap was set. It was a stupidly simple trap as well. The trash can was filled to the brim with garbage that had accumulated over the week, but instead of setting out in the front for trash collected, Maxie kept it by the backdoor, out of sight from the rest of the neighborhood. Fortunately, Archie wanted his Sharpedo for a late night swim so Maxie had Camerupt by his side. The timing was perfect. Tonight was the night that he was going to burn Bucky to a crisp. 

At least he thought he was going to. The beginning of his plans carried on flawlessly. He stood by the glass back door, peeking through the blinds, waiting patiently for Bucky to take the bait. Sure enough, the Pokemon emerged from the forest's edge and immediately went for the trash can. All Maxie had to do was throw Camerupt out there and burn the creature to oblivion. However, when Maxie caught sight of Bucky's bloodshot eyes, staggering movements, and salivating mouth, he had second thoughts. He knew that Camerupt was one of the toughest Pokemon he has ever seen, but this Bidoof also looked diseased. There was a Pokemon Center in the middle of town, sure, but he didn't want his beloved Camerupt to suffer to begin with. There was always a chance the Bidoof could dodge Camerupt's attacks and get in a quick bite to one of his meaty legs. 

It wasn't worth the risk, he decided. However, he still didn't want that Bidoof to terrorize his rented property any long though. He was going to deal with this himself, even though Mightyena pawed at his owner's leg, indicating to his master that this was a bad idea. 

With a broom in hand, Maxie's only plan was to scare away the creature. After taking in a deep breath, he threw open the door and went out swinging. He managed to land a hit on the oversized beast, but instead of scaring it away, it seemed to have only made him angry. 

The screech was horrible and Maxie tightened his grip around the broom. He refused to be intimidated by a mere Bidoof. He grit his teeth and held the broom over his head, forcefully bringing it down to hit the creature again. "Get out of here!"

To help his idiotic master, Mightyena barked behind the safety of the glass door. It didn't deter Bucky though. Bucky screeched again and stood up on his hind legs, making him stand at around the same height as Maxie's waist. He clawed the air, and Maxie simply lowered the broom and shoved it against Bucky's stomach like he was playing the world's strangest game of billiards and Bucky was the cue ball. It knocked him over, but instead of going down without a fight, Bucky's dangerously sharp teeth came down hard on the end of the broom. It was a tug-o-war fight, both contenders putting all of their strength into out-pulling the other. Maxie couldn't believe that a simple Bidoof was actually dragging him along the ground. Maxie dug the heels of his slippers against the ground in an attempt to hold steady. He was not going to lose against a stupid Bidoof!

With one forceful tug, Maxie fell flat on his face, his end of the broom flying out of his hand as Bucky scampered off with his prize. Maxie slammed his fist against the ground from frustration. "Dammit!" What was wrong with him? First he was beaten by two children and now he was bested by a Bidoof? Was he losing his edge? Was a curse placed on him when he sought out Groudon? He didn't have a damn clue. All he knew was that he was really glad Archie wasn't here to make fun of him. 

Maxie pushed himself up to his knees and then to his feet. He wiped the dirt off of his pajama shirt and fixed his hair to look somewhat dignified. Mightyena stared at him, his ears lowered and his head drooped like he was ashamed that he wasn't able to help his owner. Maxie sighed and opened the door, then knelt down to give Mightyena some comfort by petting his neck. "Don't be upset, darling. If I wanted you to fight that thing I would have asked. I do not wish for you, or anyone on our team, to get sick, especially when we have limited knowledge about the diseases Pokemon have in this region." 

Based on seeing Mightyena's tail wag back and forth, Maxie assumed that his comforting has worked. He patted the Pokemon's head once more and then stood up. He looked at the clock and hummed with annoyance. Archie has been on his ass about keeping his whereabouts known. Sure, Maxie tried to run away once, but he's been good ever since! He can't plot the resurrection of Team Magma while on the run, after all. Archie was right. They have a good thing going right now. Maxie didn't see why he would want to make life harder on himself. 

But considering that Archie has been keeping Maxie on a short leash, it seems awful hypocritical that SOMEONE wasn't home yet. Archie's been out all day, letting his Sharpedo swim around in a pond on Route 204 or something along the lines of that. Maybe Archie bumped his head and drowned in the pond. Maxie could only hope. Still, Maxie's anger felt justified. Archie said he was going to be back three hours ago. If he was late one hour, then he was probably too wrapped up in whatever he was doing to notice the time. If it were two hours, then maybe something fishy was going on. Three hours screamed shadiness. Maxie was halfway tempted to go out and search for the man himself, but he was also in his cozy flannel pajamas, slippers, and spare glasses that he wouldn't dare let anyone see him in until his face was taken off of every Hoenn news site. He was staying inside where it was warm. He wouldn't be surprised if Archie was lying on the ground, slowly dying from pneumonia from having his more than likely wet body exposed to the chilly night air. Oh, a man could dream. 

Maxie stood up, giving Mightyena one more gentle pat on the head. He then noticed the creature's ears perk up and his attention go back to the door. "Hm? It better not be that blasted thing again." Looking around the kitchen for another weapon of defense, Maxie grabbed a steak knife and held it cautiously in front of him. 

"Darling, stay away from the door," he gently ordered as Mightyena started, then promptly stopped, pawing the door. He wasn't barking like he always did when he saw a threat outside. Strange. 

Cautiously, Maxie approached the door. He peered to his left, then his right, then deemed it safe enough to step outside. His eyes were peeled for that little monstrosity. It was bound to leap out of the shadows and take his revenge, as if taking the man's dignity wasn't bad enough.

Every little sound put Maxie on edge. He was not going to let the Bidoof get the best of him once more. A loud, shrill cry caught him off guard though. He jumped a mile, the knife falling out of his hand. He quickly bent to the ground and grabbed it, only to let out a yelp as he turned around and was faced to face with a Crobat. He would have slashed the creature if he didn't drop the knife again from the surprise. 

Maxie scowled. This wasn't just a Crobat. It was Archie's. "Don't do that you beast! Speaking of, where's your bastard of an owner? He's probably around here somewhere, watching in wait for me to-" Crobat screeched again, making Maxie lose his train of thought. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The look on Crobat's face was full of concern and worry. Did something happen to Archie? Maxie sure as hell hoped so. He rolled his eyes and gently pushed the large bat aside. "If Archie is in need of assistance, find someone else. I'm sure that this is all some kind of cruel prank anyway."

Maxie walked to the door, but before he could get his hand on the knob, Crobat's teeth chomped down on the collar of shirt and pulled him away. Maxie thrashed about until Crobat was forced to release him. "I suggest you stop before I make Camerupt turn you into an oversized kabob."

Crobat narrowed his eyes at the man. Maxie returned it with his signature icy glare. His glare faltered when he heard the jingly voice of Archie's Azumarill as she poked her heard through the crack in the door. Crobat forgot about Maxie and immediately went to her. Maxie raised a brow as he watched the two interact. It looked as though they were having some kind of conversation. Azumarill grew more and more distressed as the "conversation" went on. Finally, both Pokemon looked back at Maxie. 

"What." He didn't like the expression on either of their faces. Crobat's was cold and Azumarill was heated. He adjusted his glasses and prepared for another stare down. He kind of liked Azumarill, but he was not going to cave into her the same way Archie did.

Azumarill's heated face didn't stay with her for too long though. Her body huffed up as tears welled in her tiny eyes, but she couldn't contain herself. She sat down and started crying, her little nubby arms did their very best to cover up her face. Maxie was caught completely off guard by it. Even Mightyena trotted over to see what was wrong. 

"Now Azumarill, there's no need for that." His words only made the Pokemon wail louder. It was a horrible sight to see and noise to hear. He bit his lip and turned his head so he wouldn't have to see it. Something must have happened for her to have this strong of a reaction. Something bad. Maxie threw his head back with a groan. Why did his heart all of a sudden decide to work?

"Crobat, allow me to get my shoes on and then I'll follow you." Maxie carefully stepped back the bawling Pokemon and slipped off his slippers once inside. He tugged on a pair of well worn boots and threw on a coat. He looked and felt ridiculous, but surely no one was out at this time of night. No one except for Archie, apparently. 

He stepped back outside and looked at Crobat. "Well? Are we going or not?" Crobat made a displeased noise, but lowered himself so Maxie could climb on. It was very clear that neither of them wanted to do this, but it must have been a necessity. 

"Don't you dare drop me," he warned as he mounted himself onto Crobat much like he would his own. He could feel Crobat's eye roll as they took to the chilly skies. Azumarill's cries could still be heard ringing through the air. 

At least, until Maxie was out of sight and her fake tears ceased. 

////

Whatever situation Archie managed to get himself in, Maxie felt that it was completely justified. Whoever wanted to venture out this far into a dark forest deserved to be lost or impaled on a stick. Maxie was finding it hard to get through all of the trees and brush. He was half tempted to release Camerupt so he could make a clearing for them, but ultimately decided against it. 

"You better not be leading me out into the middle of who knows where just to abandon me," he told the Crobat. Crobat looked very annoyed. It was probably because this was the fifth statement like that he's heard within the past ten minutes. That's why Crobat did his very best to make a landing as close to Archie as he could. 

Both of them froze when they heard a scream. At first, Maxie refused to believe that such a sound came out of Archie. Although he was a dimwit, he was also quiet fearless. Hearing that scream...it made him very weary of what exactly Archie had managed to get himself into. 

Crobat's actions became more urgent. He pushed Maxie forward, causing the man to stumble along. "Easy, easy! I'm going. It's rather difficult to navigate through this forested hell, if you haven't noticed."

Fortunately for them, the journey quickly came to a close. Archie and his Mightyena were both lying on the ground. His Muk was also at the scene, looking around wildly. Crobat immediately rushed over to them while Maxie took his own sweet time. As much as Maxie wanted to simply stand here and bask in this sight, he knew he didn't have much time to waste. He didn't like the strange chill in the air. His body was already chilled to the bone, but this new wave made him tremble. It wasn't just cold. There was something...disturbing in the air. Maxie wasn't quite sure what is was, but he didn't really want to meet the same fate as Archie by trying to figure it out. 

He knelt down beside Mightyena first solely because he didn't want to give Archie his primary attention. He turned on the flashlight of his halfway charged PokeNav and examined the Pokemon. There were no signs of a fight, but the Pokemon looked like he was in some pretty severe pain. He then moved over to Archie, but before he looked over the man he grabbed two Pokeballs from his belt, returning Mightyena and Muk. 

Now it was time for the main event, he supposed. He shined a light on Archie. His face was pained, an expression that Maxie could only wish he was the source of. His body was tense and twitchy. Was he going into shock or something along the lines of that? Unexpectedly, Archie screamed again and Maxie couldn't help but withdraw away from the man.

"Archie?" Maxie reached out once again and shook the man. He was clearly alive and not knocked out, but he also wasn't conscious. Maxie's shakes became rougher before he finally gave up. Archie wasn't waking up. Well, he hadn't tried something yet. He pulled his hand back and let the man have one of the harshest slaps Maxie has ever dealt. His hand stung and the spectating Crobat let out a disapproving screech, but damn it felt so good. It would have felt better if Archie gave a reaction to it. The slap didn't faze him in the slightest.

"What did you manage to get yourself into this time?" he groaned and reached into his coat pocket and released Camerupt. The moment Camerupt was out of his ball, he seemed wary of his new environment. Maxie stood up and placed a gentle hand on the creature's head. "It's okay. It's okay, love. I don't like the atmosphere of this place either, but we won't be here much longer. I need you to do me a favor, and in return I'll give you a big bowl of rawst berries when we get home." He said that as if Camerupt doesn't eat a big bowl of rawst berries on a daily basis, but Camerupt hasn't complained yet. He's crazy about rawst berries. 

"I cannot carry the brute and in the state he's currently in he would only slip off of Crobat. I need you to carry him." Steam escaped from Camerupt's nostrils and Maxie patted his head again. "I know, I know. I would much rather burn him as well."

But then again, he could have Camerupt take care of his pesky Crobat. With that Pokemon out of the way, Maxie could leave Archie here to suffer on his own. If he dies out here, then sucks to be him. It could be labeled as an unfortunate accident and Maxie could play up the devastated boyfriend card, eliminating him from suspicion. This is the perfect opportunity to wash his hands of Archie. He would feel a little bad for Azumarill though. The poor soul would be devastated, but maybe he could leave her to one of his admins, assuming he could get in Archie's PokeNav and contact one of them. If worst comes to worst, she, along with his other living Pokemon, could be put in a shelter home or released back into the wild. They had options. 

As glorious as that plan sounded, Maxie shook his head from it. No. Archie couldn't die in such a mysterious and undignified fashion. Archie was definitely going to have an undignified death, but it was going to be through Maxie's hands and Maxie's hands alone. He supposed he could just kill him now, but where was the fun in that? Someone, or something, had already done all of the work for him. It wasn't fair. 

Maxie took a hold of Archie's wrists and pulled him up into a sitting position. With plenty of grunts and failed attempts, Maxie finally managed to get the larger, and much heavier, man up to his feet (kinda). One of Archie's arms was slung over Maxie's shoulder, which he held on to to keep the leverage he had. Camerupt, albeit reluctantly, trotted over to them so his owner didn't have to strain any more muscles. With a solid heave, Maxie shoved Archie in between Camerupt's humps. It looked like he wasn't going to slide out, so Maxie considered it a success. 

"Try not to burn him too badly," he told Camerupt, giving his side an apologetic pat. "Now, let us be going. Whatever Archie faced, I don't wish to see." The two Pokemon made a noise of agreement. Crobat took the lead and Maxie stayed close to Camerupt's side, moving branches out of the Pokemon's way to help aid the large beast. 

Even though he was standing beside Camerupt, a walking volcano, Maxie still tugged his coat a little closer to his body. He came to the conclusion that the chill in the air wasn't natural. There was absolutely no way the cold could have a menacing aura surrounding it.

If he turned to look behind him, seeing the glowing blue eyes would have confirmed his hypothesis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! As always, you guys are awesome! If you have any questions/comments/concerns, then please feel free to leave a comment on the fic or drop an ask over at authorazumarill.tumblr.com, aka, the blog that is closely associated with the fic. I post updates, answer questions, and drop a few notes here and there. I love talking to you guys, so feel free to check it out!
> 
> Next time: What do you do with a mentally imprisoned sailor early in the moooornin'


	8. Oh No

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxie investigates just what exactly is going on with Archie.

For a little over ten years, Maxie has only wanted the worst for Archie. Ever since he received news of the erection of an organization who opposed everything that Team Magma stood for, he wanted to take the leader down. He wanted Archie to suffer in ways unimaginable. Inhumane ways even. However, now that Maxie finally received his long awaited wish, a feeling of regret formed in the pit of his stomach. 

The journey home felt endless. Archie's sporadic screams and shouts of anguish did nothing but put Maxie on edge. His gaze frantically watched the trees as he followed the other's Crobat back to the safety of the open Route 204. It was really impossible to say what was going on at this point without Archie's input, and considering the state that he was currently in, he probably wasn't going to be voicing his side of the story any time soon. The most comprehensible thing Maxie could get out of Archie was his deranged mumbles, and even then he wasn't working with much. It was like the guy was stuck in a nightmare he couldn't wake up from. That was really the only way Maxie could describe such behavior. 

Seeing Archie in such a horrible state almost made Maxie pity the guy. Almost. Archie had probably deserved this, Maxie was sure of it. Even then, it was still unnerving thinking that whatever placed Archie in such a state was probably still out there. Although Camerupt was the strongest Pokemon he knew (he was totally being so unbiased with that thought), they were in no condition to fight against whatever was out there. Maxie was wearing fuzzy pajama pants for crying out loud. A smart trainer knew when to fight and when to avoid it, and right now Maxie just wanted to get home until he knew more about the circumstances surrounding this event. 

Maxie tugged his coat closer to his body. The temperature in the air had significantly dropped. It was hard to shake the eerie feeling from the air. Even Camerupt looked to be uneasy even after Maxie patted his side and whispered reassuring things to his dearly beloved Pokemon. He kept his head held high, leading by example. However, he couldn't help but feel a little fearful trekking through the dark route. 

Needless to say, it was a relief to come back to Floaroma Town without incident. The streets were lit and the air was comfortable. Cold, but comfortable. With it being so late, it was only to be expected that the neighbors had called it a day. There were plenty of lights shining through the shaded windows, but it was safe to assume that everyone was carrying on their nightly activities of watching TV or whatever Sinnohians did for fun. Maxie was able to make it to his house without one of the pesky neighbors coming in and making his business their business. It was probably a good idea to seek out local advice though. They may know something that he didn't. They probably knew something that he didn't. However, he wanted to get Archie off of Camerupt's back first. He also needed to cover up that scar just in case he did decide to go and get outside help. His makeup must have washed off during his day of swimming. 

Camerupt was a beautiful and powerful Pokemon, but one of the drawbacks was just how large he was. It was impossible for him to get through normal doors without making a hole through it first. With a sigh, Maxie grabbed Archie by the waist and pulled him off of Camerupt. "Alright Archie, you have to work with me here," Maxie grumbled, knowing damn well that Archie was in no state to respond to him. Or listen to him. Or cooperate. With a heave, Maxie managed to wrap Archie's muscular arm around his shoulder. Maxie knew he wasn't the strongest man in the world, but he also knew he wasn't a complete weakling. He was struggling so much since Archie was way too heavy. He could act like an anchor if his stupid ship needed it. Maxie quickly returned Camerupt to his ball and trudged inside with Archie at his hip. Mightyena and Azumarill immediately rushed over to the humans. The pooch was curious and the water mouse was panicking.

"Calm down, calm down. At least wait until I put him down," Maxie huffed and tried to shoo Azumarill away with his leg. The journey was long and hard, but finally, Maxie plopped Archie down on the couch unceremoniously. He placed his hands on his hips as he caught his breath. Where was Tabitha to do the heavy lifting when he needed him? Oh yeah. Probably in another region. 

Archie shifted on the couch, clutching the cushion below him like his life depended on it. In the light, it was painfully obvious just how much of a mess Archie looked. His face was tense, pained, and much paler. His hair was much messier than normal and sweat beaded down from his forehead. Azumarill tried to shake him awake, but to no avail. When that didn't seem to work, she blasted his face point blank with a harsh bubblebeam. He curled up on his side, but otherwise made no response to the attack. If Maxie's slap and Azumarill's bubblebeam didn't do anything, then maybe it took something more in order to wake him up? 

"Mightyena, use crunch on his arm. It may be enough to get him to wake up." Azumarill let out a distressed cry at the order, but before she could prevent it from happening Mightyena bit down hard on Archie's arm. The man let out a pained shout, making Maxie feel relieved for a second. That second was here and gone too fast for his liking. Despite the obvious reaction, Archie's eyes were still shut tight. Azumarill shot a bubblebeam at Mightyena this time, forcing him to get off of her owner. Mightyena let out a yelp as he retreated to his trainer's side. His teeth bared before he shook the water off of his fur, causing Maxie to shield himself with his arms. "Don't do that right next to me! You know better." 

Maxie placed his hands on his hips as he looked down at the other. This was absolutely frustrating, and not to mention an inconvenient event to the quiet night he planned for himself. But the knot forming in his stomach was the most infuriating thing of all. Was he, the great Maxie, feeling kind of bad for his enemy? No. It couldn't be! It was probably more jealously than anything else. Something that wasn't him managed to bring Archie down to such a pitiful level like this. Still...it was pretty hard to look at that pained expression on the other's face. Maxie turned his head and looked down to the floor as the gears in his head frantically turned. What could he do? Wait it out? Maxie had patience, but it was severely limited when an Azumarill was staring him down. Research these symptoms? That was his preferred method, but he knew that with his love of scholarly journals one article would lead to five and the next thing he knew it was morning and nothing was accomplished. He still had Archie's Mightyena. Maybe Nurse Joy could take a look at him? That seemed to be the best option here. 

He tossed Camerupt's ball into the air and allowed his Pokemon to come back out. "Darling, keep an eye on the place and make sure the brute doesn't end up hurting himself," he ordered and Camerupt let out a little huff. Azumarill cried out and wrapped her tail around Maxie's leg as he took a step to the door. He was about to shake her off, but knew better than to fight the feisty thing. "Don't worry. I will return, hopefully with a solution. I wish to hear Archie's screams this late at night just as much as you do. Now release me. The more time I spend here, the longer it will be until your owner's better."

Azumarill looked torn, but eventually she released him and turned back to Archie. She, along the the Crobat that perched himself on the ceiling fan, both looked like they had their hearts ripped out as they looked down at their pitiful owner. It was honestly rather painful to look at. "I'll be back," Maxie told them and began to head out. His own Mightyena, despite being scolded merely moments ago, followed closely behind his owner. "Alright. You can come along as well. I may need the reinforcement." 

From what he ha noticed over the past month living in this region, plenty of people, travelers and residents alike, had Pokemon from outside the region. It was safe to have a common Pokemon such as Mightyena or Crobat hanging around, but Maxie didn't want to risk exposing Camerupt or even Weezing outside of their safe confides. Tonight was the exception, for obvious reasons. 

With all of the thoughts running through his head, he didn't pay any mind to the fact that he was going to a public place, ready to be seen by all, dressed in nothing but his coat and pajamas. But then again, it was working to his advantage. The great Maxie Matsubusa would have never been seen in public in such shambles, but Xavier Manchester, a man sincerely worried about his partner who he cared for so dearly, would. He was a genius and he didn't know it. Well, he did, but not in the current moment with this one specific situation. 

Maxie's mind was elsewhere as he walked down the brightly lit streets. He really needed to brush up on his Sinnoh mythology because surely whatever put Archie in such a state couldn't have been a regular Pokemon. Hypnosis and Sleep Powder only puts the victim to sleep. It doesn't cause such a strong reaction as what Archie was experiencing. Or maybe it did and he was having a bad allergic reaction to something? Surely not. There had to be a better explanation for it. 

As the bright red roof of the Pokemon Center came into closer view, Maxie picked up the pace. It was time to switch over to Xavier. His cool demeanor vanished and worry spread on his face, which was only quasi-faked. The automatic doors parted as he stepped up to the building. The Floraroma Town Pokemon Center was by now means as large as one in a larger area such as Jubilife or Canalave, but it was just the right size for such a small town. Nurse Joy waited behind the counter, playing peek-a-boo with a baby Happiny while her Chansey went around giving the sleepy trainers blankets for the night. 

And now it was time for the show. 

Maxie walked up to the desk, forcing himself to be much more tense and worrisome. The nurse looked up from her giddy Pokemon, the smile only faltering slightly when she saw his expression. 

"Hello! How may I help you tonight?"

"Oh, well-uh..." Maxie was honestly glad that he made Xavier out to be more on the scatterbrained side of things. He felt completely in character as he tried to figure this out for himself. "Okay, so, I know that this is something strange, but I've also never seen anything like it. I don't know if this is a Sinnoh thing or if it's common because I've certainly never seen something like this in Kanto."

"Sir, what exactly-"

"Oh! Oh, right, right. I, uh, I found Bernie and his Mightyena, well, I suppose it would be best to just show you rather than try to explain it all." He took Mightyena's Pokeball out of his pocket and handed it over to the nurse. "He's not hurt or anything, or at least, I don't believe he is. It's just...well, the best way to describe it is he won't wake up. Mightyena and Bernie both."

"Well, if they were out this late at night then they probably spooked some of the Budew," she tried to reassure him with a calm voice. "I'll heal Mightyena right up. As for Bernie, he should wake up in a few hours. I wouldn't advise giving him an awakening, but if you could get some chesto berries into his system that might make him wake up sooner. I can give you some here in a moment if you would like."

Maxie shook his head. Nurse Joy's reasoning was sound, but he knew this had to be more than that. There was something sinister surrounding this whole thing and Maxie couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was. Maybe Mightyena would end up waking up after she treated him, making Maxie look like a complete fool where he stood? If that was the case then good. Maxie would be able to sleep easy at night despite his reaction proving to be unneeded. "No, no it's fine. I have plenty at home. It's just I've never seen anything like this before. Please, take a look at him, will you?" 

"It will all be alright. Now, let's see if this won't help the little fellow. This will only take a few, short moments." Nurse Joy took a few steps from the counter and placed Mightyena's Pokeball into a chamber and gently closed the lid. Such machines had always fascinated Maxie, but right now he didn't have the time to bother the nurse while she healed his enemy's Pokemon. He felt like he did enough of that to the poor nurse back in Lavaridge when he was growing up anywho. 

The short moments felt like eternity to him for reasons he couldn't quite figure out. This wasn't his Pokemon. He shouldn't feel any kind of sympathy toward Mightyena or even Archie. This was probably their own faults to begin with. However, that nagging feeling refused to go away, no matter how many times Maxie tried to shake it off. Soon though, Nurse Joy took Mightyena out of the chamber and handed the ball back to Maxie. "Thank you for waiting! Your partner's Mightyena should be feeling just fine now."

"Hopefully so. Thank you." He took the ball from her and cautiously released Mightyena from it. He half expected the Pokemon to be on all fours, looking around curiously for his owner now that he was awake and out of the ball. Although Archie's Mightyena still didn't like Maxie, the Pokemon knew better than to attack him at this point. What he saw instead made his heart skip a beat. Mightyena laid down on the floor, his body still showcasing the occasional twitch and whimper. His own Mightyena went over to him, sniffed him, and then pawed at his face. 

Maxie turned back to look at Nurse Joy with worry very apparent on his face. The worry only grew stronger and more genuine when he heard her gasp at the sight. 

"I don't like that. That doesn't sound good. What was that gasp-why isn't he awake?" Nurse Joy didn't respond to him though. She rushed out from behind her counter and knelt down beside Mightyena. Some of the trainers were already asleep, but others were awake and looked concerned. Scared even. It was a sight to take in, and Maxie knew he had to mess with them a little bit just to make sure that they weren't going to get any sleep tonight. 

"I knew it...I knew it was a bad idea to take a walk out into the forest this late at night, but Bernie never listens to me. It's like they're stuck in a nightmare they can't wake up from. If it weren't for his Crobat, they probably would still be out in the middle of the forest, all cold and alone and what have you. Even when I was coming ho I kept on feeling this out of place cold chill. It was almost like something was following me. I sure hope whatever's out there isn't still there," he said just loud enough for the kids to hear. They shifted uneasily and talked amongst themselves. Now they were really scared and Maxie used all of his might not to smile at the sight. 

He turned his attention to the Mightyena on the ground as Nurse Joy made some checks. He really didn't like the troubled look on her face. "Where did you find them?" she finally asked and stood up, adjusting her dress as she went back over to the counter. Maxie's eyes followed her trail.

"Uhh...somewhere deep in Route 204. Did, like, a Pokemon do this to them?"

The phone rang and Nurse Joy jumped. One of the trainers screamed and Maxie really had to force down the smile creeping up on his face. "Perhaps. I need to call the nurse in Canalave. Give me just a moment, if you will," she requested and then answered the phone. She brought her hand up to her mouth to hide her gasp, but there wasn't anything that could hide the look of terror in her eyes. 

Now a knot in his stomach was forming for an entirely different reason. If something terrifies a Nurse Joy, then it is a force to be feared. 

She made small talk with the person on the other end before ending the conversation and quickly dialing a number, turning her back toward Maxie and the other people in the Pokemon Center. Maxie adverted his gaze and looked at the Mightyenas. They had never gotten along, so he was quite surprised to see his own Mightyena licking Archie's on the head. It didn't look like he was trying to wake the other up. Rather, he was trying to calm him down. 

"Mr. Manchester, that's it, right?" Nurse Joy asked. Maxie almost didn't register that she was talking to him, but when he did he quickly turned around to make up for the delay. 

"Right! Right. So, uh..." Maxie paused when he caught the look in the nurse's eye. She was trying to stay calm and collected, but behind that mask she was scared. 

"I...must be honest with you, Mr. Manchester. The nurse over in Canalave said that she has seen something like this before. If anything, it's more frequent over there than it is over here in Floaroma. We believe that, uh," she eyed the young trainers whispering to themselves and motioned for Maxie to lean in closer to her, which she did. She placed a hand over his arm and Maxie had to stop himself from jerking it back. She was friendly and trying to be comforting. She wasn't wanting to hurt him. "You're from Kanto, so you may not know, but have you ever heard of the legend of Darkrai?"

Dear Arceus Maxie did not like where this was going. He was an expert in Hoenn mythology, considering he did awaken a legendary beast and all, but the legends of other regions were unfamiliar to him. He knew the main ones though. The three birds of Kanto, Ho-oh and Lugia, the creation Pokemon, the list goes on. When it comes to the non-major legends, he was unfamiliar with most. He shook his head. 

"Oh...w-well, Darkrai is a Pokemon, well, an evil beast, rather. It has the power to cause people and Pokemon alike to have horrible nightmares and it's honestly hard to say why it does it."

They should have gone to Kalos if Maxie knew they would have to be dealing with Pokemon like this. "But...but there is a way to wake them up, right? We'll just have to wait it out or something?" he asked and glanced back at the Mightyenas again before directing his attention to Nurse Joy. 

"Well...I'm sorry to say, but I'm not entirely for sure. I would think that they would wake up given some time, but I'm not sure as to exactly how long that would be. I sincerely apologize for not knowing, but I won't stop making calls and doing a little research until I have an answer for you. I would recommend staying here, but you also said that Bernie was affected as well. My advice is to go back home and keep watch over him and Mightyena. I hate that you have to see your partner in such a state, but sometimes we must see our loved ones at their worst."

For once, Maxie wasn't internally Mr. Anderson's loose lips for telling the whole town about his and Archie's "relationship" quite literally the first few days they arrived in town. He was actually getting used to it at this point. However, Maxie's emotions were elsewhere. The brutal truth Nurse Joy laid down wasn't reassuring at all. If anything, it was genuinely unsettling. Archie was his bitter enemy, but this wasn't what Maxie wanted him to suffer through. "But, what if it takes too long for him to wake up on his own? Without food or water-"

"I know, but the most we can do right now is hope that this will subside soon enough. I'm sorry. I know that's exactly what you don't want to hear right now."

"It's alright...I mean, it's not like it's your fault or anything. Bernie was probably just went somewhere he wasn't supposed to and now we just have to deal with it," Maxie sighed out and carefully moved his arm out of Nurse Joy's grasp. "Please keep me updated though. Here-" He grabbed a pen from the edge of the counter and looked around for a scrap piece of paper, which the nurse provided when she realized what he was doing. He wrote his number down and slid the paper back to her. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome," she nodded. "As soon as I hear anything you will be the first one to know."

"Thanks." Maxie returned Archie's Mightyena to his Pokeball and patted his own on the side of the neck as a sign that he was ready to go. Mightyena looked up at his expectedly, like he was supposed to fix the other Pokemon right here and now. That was strange. The two couldn't even be in the same room as each other for a month but now suddenly the tides had turned. 

Stepping outside, Maxie tugged his coat tighter around his frame. Everything about this was unsettling, but one thing kept on bugging him. A Pokemon that caused neverending nightmares? Even though he has never heard of Darkrai before, he knew he heard that description from somewhere but couldn't pinpoint where. Maybe he read it in a book? No, he remembered hearing it not reading it. 

During their entire trip home, Maxie mulled it over again and again. Where had he heard that before? He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Mightyena's sudden unease and soft whines. A flock of Starly were perched on the streetlights and a few surrounding houses. A gust of wind picked up a shedded feather and blew it into the street. That association was able to activate the dormant nodes in his brain. 

It was Archie! 

Archie was the one who told him about the nightmare Pokemon when they were back on the boat, that bastard. He also mentioned the citizens of Canalave carrying around green feathers to ward off the nightmares. That must be it! But then again, Nurse Joy talked to another nurse from Canalave. If this was what they were dealing with, then why didn't the other nurse bring up the cure? Maybe it was just a bunch of superstitious garbage just like he thought, but then again, he didn't believe that the red orb would be able to awaken Groudon until he stole notes from Team Aqua containing information on the blue orb. It was hard to say what was true and what was false anymore. 

Regardless, he picked up the pace. He needed to do some research on his own. He felt as though he had enough information to figure this out without further assistance. 

When he finally made it home, he threw open the door to the house and shed his coat. Every Pokemon's eyes were on him as he rushed off to his room. Even Mightyena seemed at a loss for what his owner was doing until he came back to the living room with a laptop. "I think I have enough information to find a way to make the brute better," he announced to the anxious Pokemon in the room. A quick glance toward the other told him that he was still in a state of agony. His movement had decreased and his face was sweaty, but he just hand to hang tight for a little while longer. 

Inserting the key words was easy enough, but finding a trustworthy article was the tricky part. Like any legendary and mythical Pokemon, sources weren't reliable since everyone simply speculates the legends. They were nearly impossible to prove true, after all. However, from what he could tell after skimming article after article, there was a cure for the Darkrai induced nightmares, but it involved obtaining a wing from the legendary Pokemon Cresselia, hence the green feathers he remembered hearing about. However, the people of Sinnoh were gullible and superstitious, so it comes as no surprise to Maxie to find out that nearly every green wing on the market is either plastic or a painted Starly feather. While inconvenient, Maxie would totally do the same thing if he needed some quick cash. He found nothing wrong with taking advantage of the stupid and gullible. 

Although it was pretty safe to say he knew what the cure was to Archie's ailment, it was obtaining the cure that was going to prove to be difficult. It wasn't everyday that someone ran into a legendary Pokemon, after all. It was disheartening, but if he was able to find the red orb and Groudon's slumbering chamber, he could find a feather, dammit. 

It was hard to say how much time had passed since he opened up his laptop. Despite the panic, Azumarill, Crobat, and Camerupt had drifted off to sleep and Mightyena laid on the floor beside the chair Maxie had made himself comfy in. He was just about to fall asleep as well, but then his ears perked up with interest. He raised his head and looked toward the window. After a moment of staring, the Pokemon finally got up to his paws and scampered over to the other side of the room. He stood up on his hind legs and weaseled his way under the blinds to look outside, only to let out a yelp of surprise as he jumped backwards. The sudden noise made Maxie jump as well, nearly tossing his dying laptop into the air.

"Mightyena! What are you-" his thought was cut off when he watched the Pokemon scramble back on all fours and ran away from the window. He hid behind Maxie's chair, poking his head out only to frantically bark, eyes locked on the window. He knew that his Mightyena was a bit of a scaredy skitty, but this was ridiculous. 

Still, Maxie jumped up from his chair. A flash of blue was seen behind the blinds before it quickly vanished. The articles had mentioned rumors of the Pokemon having fierce, blue eyes. The air chilled significantly and now all of the Pokemon were awake and panicked. 

Darkrai was outside. 

It was outside and like hell Maxie was going to sit around and cower in fear. "Camerupt, you're with me." Camerupt made a sound similar to "nuh uh" but before he could protest further, Maxie returned him to his ball. He grabbed his coat again and rushed out the door, not even caring that the only thing protecting his feet from the nearly frosted grass was a pair of fuzzy socks. He slung on his coat as he bolted out the door. The streetlights made the figure floating before him clear. The blue eyes, the white, steam like head, the red collar, this was Darkrai. 

The adrenaline coursed through his veins. He held his Pokeball up to his face, whispering "Camerupt, I'm sorry, but you must trust me on this," before tossing it into the air. Instead of cowering, Camerupt slammed his front hooves down on the ground and let out a mighty roar. Steam blew out of his nose and bits of lava spouted from his back. He was ready for a fight. This fight would be a perfect opportunity to mega evolve Camerupt, but it was too risky. No matter. Camerupt was capable as he was. 

It looked like Darkrai felt free to take the first move in this battle. A bright, violet ball formed at its side before it thrusted it toward its opponent. Maxie adjusted his glasses, eyes focused on the attack as it gained traction. Not yet...not yet...

Now! "Camerupt, Fire Blast!" he ordered. With a huff, flames quickly formed in the front of Camerupt, lava spilling from his back as the flames shot forward. Darkrai's attack burst into thousands of dazzling lights, but Camerupt's flames kept on going, only to be burned out when it forcefully landed on Darkrai's body. Maxie grinned as the shadowy body landed on the sidewalk. A few lights from the neighboring houses turned on and window blinds were pulled to see what the commotion was. 

Before Darkrai could get up, Maxie shouted for Earth Power. The sidewalk cracked and the legendary beast was mercilessly hit again. The screech the creature let out sounded hollow as it pushed itself up. Maxie was prepared for another attack. Camerupt could dodge and then charge at the beast. Then with his empty Ultra Ball...

His focus was quickly shifted back to the battle not due to what Darkrai did, but rather, what it didn't do. It looked like it was charging up another attack, but decided against it last minute. It quickly backed away and Maxie blinked in surprise. No...oh no. It was not going to run away from the great Maxie!

"Camerupt, charge at it! Don't let it get away!" he shouted. There was only so much Camerupt could do on the ground though. Maxie quickly tossed Crobat's ball into the air and shouted the same orders to him. 

All three Pokemon were on the move and Maxie ran to catch up. However, his fuzzy socks did not make for a good alternative to running shoes. There was no traction on the slick sidewalk, so being the nerd he was during this climactic battle, he fell and landed flat on his face. His Pokemon took the battle into their own hands. Crobat tried to knock Darkrai down with Acrobatics and Camerupt continued with his Fire Blasts. Darkrai was weak. Its blue eyes flaming as it desperately looked for a route of escape. 

The violet light appeared by its side again. Both Camerupt and Crobat were smart enough to steer clear from it without orders. Once the ball was formed, it was tossed not at Camerupt or Crobat, but at Maxie, the man who was just now getting back on his feet. 

His eyes widened as the ball grew closer and closer. A pained scream escaped his mouth when something rammed into his side, knocking him onto the cool grass below. His eyes were shut tight and he half expected to open them in a nightmarish realm, but when he opened them up, the dark night sky looked normal above him. Slowly, he raised himself into a sitting position. Everything looked and felt normal. Well, other than the pain in his side. Then what-

Camerupt. Camerupt! Maxie's eyes widened in horror as he looked off to the side, seeing his dearly beloved Pokemon turned over on his side. Oh no. Oh no no no no. Maxie quickly sprung to his feet. The foot that was bitten by the Huntail did not look that at all, but he didn't care. He sprinted over to his Pokemon and looked him over, his hands frantically patting his cheek, his side, anything to get his eyes to open again. 

Maxie swore he saw his eyelids twitch. Maybe he was fighting it off so his trainer wouldn't have to worry about him. His hooves kicked the air and he let out a loud, pained sound. It was enough to knock Maxie back from his kneeling position and onto his backside. It was always hard to watch Camerupt go down in defeat, but he always revived him the moment he could and then spoiled him with rawst berries while giving him nothing but praise for a hard fought battle. This time...the only way to revive him was through the use of a feather from a legendary Pokemon, and even if by some miracle he did manage to find one, it was a toss up as to whether or not it was going to work. 

The attack was directed toward him. He would happily trade places with Camerupt given the chance, but it was obviously too late. 

People began to come out of their homes, slowly approaching the apparent victors of the battle. Darkrai had vanished, people were cheering, but Maxie was aware of none of it. Like Camerupt, he was trapped in a nightmare as well. The only difference was this was his reality. 

It should have been him. People were approaching. He needed to look presentable.

Maxie did not even bother to wipe the tears from rolling down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:3c
> 
> Thank you guys for reading!!!! As always, you guys are awesome and I really appreciate all of the support that this fic has revived! Here's an early Christmas present for you guys. If you have any questions/comments/concerns/wanna cuss me out, then feel free to either leave a comment down below or leave an ask at authorazumarill.tumblr.com, aka, the blog centered around all of my hardenshipping fics!
> 
> Next time: What can a Maxie do?


	9. The Hopeless Search for the Lunar Wing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A game of fetch got them into this situation, a game of fetch was going to get them out.

Despite the lack of sleep Maxie has experienced during the last three days, his mind was still racing, turning, and doing everything in its power to find a way to obtain a lunar wing. It took Maxie nearly a decade to find the red orb and Groudon's place of slumber, but right here and now, he didn't have such time to waste. Archie, Mightyena, and his dear, sweet Camerupt were all relying on him.

As much as Nurse Joy had been trying to sugarcoat things, Maxie knew that there were only two outcomes to this. Either he found the lunar wing and prayed that it was able to wake the three up or they would die. It was simple as that. He had lost hope that they would wake up on their own after seeing no signs of it happening after the first full twenty-four hours of finding Archie and bringing him home. By now on day three, things were looking incredibly bleak. Maxie had been doing all he could to keep them in stable shape, but his best efforts were proving to be futile. The three had stopped stirring in their sleep, but Maxie knew better than to believe they were in a peaceful slumber. Their faces were still pained and their bodies tense. Although Maxie was finished crying at the sight of Camerupt in such a state, it still broke his heart to see his partner suffering so much. As much as he wanted to blame himself, he knew that wallowing in self pity wasn't going to wake Camerupt up. If anything, it was going to be his demise. He was going to find a lunar wing and make everything right again. He had to. 

All three of them looked absolutely miserable and horrible, but Archie by far took the largest slice of the shitty cake. Maybe humans and Pokemon experienced Darkrai's nightmares differently like they did with status conditions? It was hard to say. What was for certain was that Archie's state was unsettling, to say the least. The man had always been so annoying with his boldness and loud, booming voice, but now, Maxie kind of wished he had it back. He stopped hearing Archie's petrified screams and pained shouts about a day ago. Now he couldn't so much as get a mumble out of the man. His face was a deathly pale. Sweat made his hair cling to his face and his stubble was growing out fast from not being able to shave for a few days. If it hadn't been for his heaving chest, Maxie would have assumed the worst. 

Azumarill had placed a damp rag on her owner's forehead and has been constantly changing it throughout the days. What she was aiming on doing with that will forever be a mystery, but Maxie wasn't about to stop her. If it made her feel better, then he saw no right in being cruel and telling her the truth. 

Even his own Mightyena has been trying his very best to help. Maxie guessed that he raised a sympathetic Pokemon because he hasn't been able to separate Mightyena from Camerupt and Archie's Mightyena. For the entirety of the first month they have lived together, both of the Mightyenas have been at odds. It hardly went above threatening growls, but a few fights have broken out. Now, Maxie's Mightyena has been trying to comfort both of the Pokemon during their time of need. Maxie has caught him licking and pawing at the two, which Maxie assumed to be his way of checking to see if they were alive. It soon became clear that Mightyena's intentions were more than that when he continuously placed food and toys in front of the sleeping Pokemon, trying to bribe them into waking up. Once again, Maxie didn't plan on being cruel to a Pokemon who was trying his best. 

Time was running out much faster than he would have liked. He only had a few more days at the most to find the cure for them, as well as the others affected by Darkrai. Whatever Archie had done to upset Darkrai on that fateful night must have really pissed him off. A few residents and Pokemon of Floaroma have been reported to have been victims of Darkrai's nightmare spree. Maxie has been hailed a hero for fighting such a dangerous Pokemon, but that title meant nothing to him, at least, not yet. He may consider it if and when he found the lunar wing and undid all of Darkrai's damage, much like how he wished he could have undid Groudon's terror without the aid of a child. He was a grown ass man. It was time to start handling things like one. 

Ideas constantly turned in Maxie's head during the past few days, none of which had any hopes of being successful. Admittedly, he was getting a little burned out. The articles he found were no help, the notes he made ultimately ended up being tossed in the trash, but due to his lack of aim only a select few of the wadded up notes actually made it into the trash can. The rest were scattered along the floor. The stiff and dreary atmosphere and the silence of the otherwise nosy house were driving Maxie mad. He was frustrated, but more importantly, he, the Great Maxie, was scared. 

After reading through a horribly written note he made in his notebook, he was finally fed up with theorizing. He tossed the notebook against the wall on the other side of the living room, making Mightyena and Azumarill look up with surprise. Coming up was theories was pointless. He was better off staying outside until a miracle happened and a lunar wing fell from the sky. Sure, he's spent hours upon hours already outside, looking through the nearby routes and forests for the legendary wing only to come up empty handed, but he had a better chance of finding it on the outside then he ever would siting in his living room, he decided. 

He stood up and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. Never in his life has he ever let it get in this bad of shape, but Camerupt's life was much more important to him than taking forty-five minutes of his life to style his hair. If it were just another inch or so longer he would have been able to pull it back into a ponytail and call it a day. Even after a month he still hated his short hair, but he can complain about it another time. 

"Azumarill, keep an eye on the three of them, will you? I'm going to go out and search a little more. Perhaps our luck will change today," he stated, trying to stay optimistic for the worrisome Pokemon. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she was exhausted. All of her hard work will pay off though. If and when they manage to wake everyone up, she was definitely getting a large bowl of berries to reward her efforts. Azumarill nodded and looked over at Archie. She took the rag off of his head and left the room for the bathroom, no doubt going to wring it out and start the cycle over again. 

"Mightyena, you're with me," he said and the Pokemon quickly got up and went over to his owner's side. The Sinnoh air was getting colder, and even though Maxie was wearing a thick turtleneck, it was impossible for him to leave the house without throwing on a coat and scarf as well. He was never a big fan of scarves since he had turtlenecks to keep him warm, but in this new environment he had to adapt in order to survive. Maxie patted his pockets to make sure he had everything. Pokemon? Check. PokeNav? Check. Wallet? Check. He doubted he would be using the last two things on that mental check list, but it was better to have them on him just in case something did happen. 

He closed the door behind him and locked it. The people of Floaroma were nice and the least threatening people he has ever met, but it was better to be safe than sorry. The sun was still in the sky but the air was cool and crisp. Maxie went on and shoved his hands in his pockets for the warmth. Mightyena pranced a few feet ahead of him before looking back to see where his trainer planned on going. 

"We're going to give Route 204 a break today and head up to Route 205," he said as he started to walk to the east side of town. "I know we haven't had much luck with either route," or Eterna Forest, or Eterna City, or any of the nearby routes for that matter, "but perhaps we'll be able to get lucky today. Unlike before, we have to leave things to chance instead of having a set in stone goal. I know. It's not ideal, but so far I haven't found any way around it."

As he walked down the street, people passing by waved kindly at him, some even stopping him for some short and pointless small talk. After the fight with Darkrai he was practically a celebrity in the town. Under better circumstances he would be eating this attention up, but he had a lunar wing to find. His voice was a very annoyed as he was trapped into talking to some of the passerbys. He had set up Xavier to be a friendly ditz, but he couldn't keep up the act. Not right now, at least. Instead of being angry or insulted with him, the townspeople seemed...understanding. Some gave him gentle pats on the shoulder and wished the best for him and Bernie, others pulled him into a hug and told him that it was all going to be okay. One even offered to cook him and Bernie a meal once the man woke up since "it would be one less thing he had to worry about." 

Maxie hasn't seen this much community support, well...he's never seen this much community support unless if he counted Team Magma as a community. The grunts looked out for each other no matter what. Even though the team has been disbanded, plenty of the now ex-grunts were bound to stay in contact with each other. Team Magma had its flaws, but one of the strengths from the team came from how closely knit it was. As he walked out of Floaroma Town and into the northern route, Maxie was beginning to realize just how isolated he was. Team Magma was his life. Tabitha and Courtney were the closest things he had to friends and now he hasn't attempted to talk to them since his escape for their own safety. He sincerely hoped they were doing alright. They wouldn't have had to go into hiding if he never asked them to be his admins all those years ago. 

He shook the thought from his head. Focus. Letting his mind wander like that wasn't going to help anything. It was just going to make his search much harder. He rubbed his face an in attempt to vanquish his tiredness and then kept his eyes peeled on his surroundings. 

"Remember, we're looking for a green feather." Mightyena tilted his head to the side. "Oh, right. You're colorblind." Come to think of it, his Pokemon were the worst choices to have in a search that required the ability to recognize detail. Mightyena was colorblind, Crobat relied primarily on echolocation, and Weezing, well...he wasn't aware he was in the world most of the time to begin with. He was a good partner to have when exploring caves though. Maxie let out a little groan and patted Mightyena's head so the pooch knew he didn't do anything wrong. "Pay attention to your nose then. The lunar wing should hopefully smell unusual."

Like the obedient Pokemon Mightyena was who only partially understood what Maxie was talking about, he trotted a few feet in front of his trainer and started sniffing around on the ground. 

The search through the route proved to be as fruitful as a pinap berry harvest in the winter time. Maxie knew that his chances of finding any sign of the legendary Pokemon Cresselia were low in this area, but he also had no idea where the Pokemon would normally reside. The articles he read mentioned that where Darkrai was, Cresselia was close behind. How accurate that was will be a mystery to Maxie. For all he knew, the Pokemon could only show up on full moons, the opposite of Darkrai's new moon theme. If that was the case, well, he sure hoped that wasn't the case. 

After searching every nook and cranny of the route three times over, Mightyena looked up at his trainer and let out a little whine. Maxie sighed and scratched the Pokemon's furry neck in a comforting manner. "It's not your fault, dear. We've just been issued an impossible task." Honestly, they should head back home and deal with the fact that Archie, Mightyena, and dear sweet Camerupt weren't going to wake up. It was the most logical thing to do. 

Maxie, however, has not been known for his rationality. 

There was still a little bit of time before it was too late. Until that moment came, Maxie refused to rest. When he wasn't searching, he could be theorizing where Cresselia may be. If he really pushed himself, he could even possibly find the resources to conduct a quick and convoluted experiment, or even a trap to catch the legendary creature. No, no. He wouldn't have time for that. It took years of experimentation to find Groudon, and Groudon was dormant. As far as Maxie knew, Cresselia was awake and constantly on the move. 

The sun was beginning to set and the lights from Floaroma could be seen even at the northern most part of Route 205. They should probably be heading back, but they also haven't searched Eterna Forest today. They were on the edge of it, so Maxie figured it would be more beneficial to look than to completely give up. 

"Let's look around the forest for a while and then we can go home. I'll be sure to give you some treats to go along with dinner for all of your hard work today." Mightyena was silent, but seemed to understand. Instead of trotting along a few feet in front of Maxie, the Pokemon stayed by his side this time around. The poor thing must be getting tired. In that case, Maxie wouldn't keep him out long. 

Eterna Forest, while dark, was pleasant. Serene even, unlike the forest that boarded Route 204 which was cramped and eerie. It was no wonder that this was a popular spot for trainers to stop and train or relax for the night. The high trees rose high and brightly colored hues of red, yellow, and orange blocked the sky. Within another month or so, all of the leaves would have fallen off the trees and created an entirely different landscape. Even now, the forest floor was littered with fallen leaves. If Mightyena wasn't so tired, he would have been jumping around and playing in the piles of leaves. All he could do now was sniff the ground and bark at the curious bug Pokemon. 

The past week has been dark and depressing. It was clearly taking its toll on everyone in the house. Maxie hummed for a moment and thought about something. He could spare a minute or two to reward Mightyena for all of his hard work now, he supposed. It would be something to suffice him until they got home, at least. He picked up a fallen twig and tore off the leaf that still clung to it. He wagged it in front of Mightyena's face to get his attention and grinned when he saw that tail wagging. "Ready? Go and get it!" Maxie pulled his arm back and flung it forward, but kept the stick firmly in his hand. Mightyena didn't seem to notice though. He ran forward with all of his might, prancing around in the leaves as he tried to find the stick that had his owner's scent on it. Maxie covered his mouth to stifle back his laughter. It was always so much fun messing with the poor creature. Mightyena trotted back to him, looking completely betrayed now that he saw the stick in Maxie's hand.

"I'm sorry dear. Maybe once you stop falling for it, I'll stop doing it," Maxie said as though Mightyena knew something about instrumental conditioning. "I'll really do it this time." Once again, Maxie pulled his arm back, but this time he kept his word and tossed the stick further into the forest. Mightyena chased it without a second thought. A moment later, he was successful in retrieving the stick. His tail wagged vigorously as he gnawed on the stick for a moment. He took a few steps toward Maxie before stopping. His ears perked up and it seemed like something had caught his attention. Maxie rose a brow. 

"Mightyena?" Despite hearing his owner's voice, Mightyena dropped the stick and ran off. 

"Mightyena!" Maxie called out and ran after the creature. This was very uncharacteristic of the pooch. He also knew how much Maxie hated running. Perhaps this was sweet, sweet revenge? No, surely it wasn't. Perhaps he found something of interest? Maybe. Maxie would bet money there was a fat Pachirisu running around here somewhere.

By the time Maxie caught up with the Pokemon, he was out of breath. Mightyena was clawing at a tree, barking at something up in the branches. "Migh...What'd ya see?" Maxie panted, resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. It took him a second, but he was finally able to stand again and headed to look up the tree. The closer he got to it, the more he believed that his fat Pachirisu theory was correct. 

However, he was surprisingly wrong. 

Hiding in the tree was a small Gligar, probably the smallest Maxie has ever seen. It hung upside down on a branch a few feet above the two. Its wings blanketed its body and it looked annoyed at the unwanted attention. Maxie would have dismissed the creature, but something caught his eye. The leaves hanging on the tree were all shades of red, so the glistening green leaf stabbed through the Gligar's tail stood out. Wait...that wasn't a leaf. 

Could it be...?

There was only one way to find out. 

Maxie patted his pockets frantically. He had his PokeNav, his Pokemon, and his wallet, but what he really needed right now were some treats. Pokeblocks were nonexistent here in Sinnoh so his supply was getting dangerously low, but surely he had at least one on him. 

He let out an aggravated sigh when he realized he didn't. It looked like they would be doing this the hard way. He took a step back and released Crobat. The tree was too thick for the Pokemon to fly into without getting stuck or hurting himself, but that was okay. Maxie had a plan. "Alright you two, attention. There's a Gligar in the trees and catching it could mean life or death for Camerupt, and I guess Archie and his Mightyena. Crobat, if it tries to escape by flying you stop it. Mightyena, if it aims for the ground, you stop it." His Pokemon looked like they understood his orders and that was good enough for Maxie. 

Now, even though Maxie wasn't much of a runner, he was a natural climber. He supposed it came from years upon years of scaling and exploring Mt. Chimney and its vast cave system when he was younger and had nothing better to do and a mother to worry. Climbing a tree was different than climbing from ledge to ledge, but it took the same skills to do so. Maxie grabbed onto one of the low branches and pulled himself up. The Gligar kept a close eye on him as he got closer and closer to the branch it was hanging from. It even let off a warning screech when he got a little too close. 

"Now, now, there's not need for that. All I want is the feather on your tail," he said, but he sincerely doubted the Pokemon understood him. Once he was only a branch away from the Pokemon, he stopped and held out a friendly hand. Gligar didn't like it. Well, so much for that approach. Desperate times call for stupid measures. Maxie tore off a small part of the branch and tossed it at the Pokemon. It let out a hiss in response. Maxie did it once more and finally the Pokemon unwrapped itself and glided to the next tree. Well, it tried to glide to the next tree but it was intercepted by Crobat. Crobat managed to knock it out of the air and Mightyena took it from there. He bit down on the creature's neck, not forcefully enough to severely harm it or worse, kill it, but just hard enough to keep it in place. The Gligar struggled and tried to hit Mightyena with its stinger, but due to its size the most it could do was poke his legs, and even then it didn't really do much damage. 

Easily, Maxie climbed down from the tree and approached the Pokemon. "We'll be out of your hair soon enough. I just want something you probably don't want on your tail." He knelt down, his eyes glued to the green object stuck on its tail. It was a glistening green and even from where he knelt he could feel some kind of energy radiating from it. 

This had to be the lunar wing. 

Maxie reached out to grab it, but the Gligar quickly stabbed his tail toward where Maxie's hand was heading. Maxie most definitely would have had a hole in his hand if he didn't move it out of the way in time. For nearly harming his owner, Mightyena bit down on his neck a little harder, causing the Pokemon to screech out in pain. Maxie glared at the pooch and Mightyena loosened up his grip a little. 

"If you want to be like that, fine. Since you're making my life difficult, I will do the same to yours." Maxie pulled out an empty ultra ball he had planned on using on Darkrai during their encounter and gently tossed it at the Gligar. It didn't look too strong, so it came to no surprise that it wasn't able to bust out of the powerful ultra ball. Maxie picked up the ball and patted Mightyena on the head. However, that wasn't enough for Maxie right now. He leaned in a little closer and pulled his pooch in for a hug. Mightyena yapped and licked Maxie's cheek in response. "You're such a good boy. The best boy. Thank you so much for your help. Now go on and rest up. The next time I let you out, you'll have a feast waiting for you." 

Maxie pulled out Mightyena's Pokeball and returned him to the cozy container. He stood up and brushed himself off, then turned to the Crobat who was waiting for instructions. Maxie patted his head as well before climbing on him. "Thank you for your assistance as well, but your work is just beginning. Fly back to the house as quickly as you can, darling." Crobat let out a noise of understanding and started to fly. It was impossible to avoid the thick branches, but Crobat managed to weave his way through it well enough that Maxie only ended up getting hit in the face by annoying branches three times. Once they were high in the sky and out of the trees, he pulled a few twigs out of his hair as Crobat flew home.

His heart was practically beating out of his chest at this point. Luck was finally merciful on him. After screwing him over time and time again, maybe the universe decided to give him a break. Or maybe the universe decided to give one of the victims a break? If Arceus found favor with Camerupt (as it should), then Maxie wouldn't complain a bit. 

But he also knew not to get carried away. The lack of sleep could be playing tricks on his mind or his mind was on the verge of a psychological break. Maybe this was just a normal feather? Maybe this was the lunar wing, but all of the tall tales weren't true and it didn't work. There was only one way to find out, he supposed. It was really the only thing going for him at the point. 

Crobat followed instructions perfectly. He made it to the house in record time. Maxie quickly jumped off and ran to the door. He turned the knob and slammed into the door like a fucking nitwit. Oh right. He was an idiot and locked it. Fumbling around with his keys was not a thing he wanted to do right now. Not when he was so close to waking Camerupt up. It was necessary though. Once he unlocked it, he threw the door open and charged in. No one was around other than Azumarill, so he felt free to carry on a little unprofessionally. 

He was about to throw Gligar out of its ball, but he knew that was just itching for trouble. The Pokemon was very hostile and would no doubt raise hell in this new and strange environment. Azumarill squeaked and wandered over to Maxie. He was too preoccupied with setting a bowl on the counter and placing some of their better Pokemon food in it. Gligar was a ground type, so surely it would have some of the same tastes as Camerupt. 

"Give me a moment, dear," he told Azumarill when she started poking his side. "I think I have a way to wake them up." 

With the bowl ready, Maxie took out the ball and released Gligar onto the counter. The Pokemon instinctively backed away and hissed at the man. 

"Don't worry. I don't plan on hurting you any more. Here-" He cautiously moved the bowl a little closer to the creature. The scent seemed to have caught its interest. Cautiously, the Gligar approached the bowl and pecked around at the food. It was clearly still on edge, but Maxie was tired of waiting. As quickly as he could, he reached out and grabbed the wing and easily pulled it off Gligar's tail. This time, Gligar managed to stab the back of his hand but Maxie didn't care in the slightest. The adrenaline was coursing through his veins. He was so close. 

Lunar wing in hand, Maxie ran to the living room and knelt beside Camerupt. Every article he read said that he needed the lunar wing in order to wake on of Darkrai's victims up. It never said just how exactly it was supposed to be administered. Was it supposed to simply touch the victim? Did the victim have to consume in? In that case, sorry Archie. Maxie didn't know. He didn't know and a new wave of terror washed over him as he looked at Camerupt's poor pained face. 

His hands were shaking. It looked like the best way to find out was to experiment a little. Not knowing where else to put it, he touched the lunar wing to Camerupt's forehead. His breath hitched when he heard Camerupt make a noise, but his eyes remained closed. "Come on, darling. You can do it," he mumbled and rubbed his cheek. Camerupt stirred a little. With a jolt that threw Maxie backwards, Camerupt's eyes snapped open. He was clearly in distress as he looked around and the best thing for anyone to do was to give the giant creature some space while he calmed down. Maxie was too thrilled to give Camerupt even an inch of space. He threw his arms around the creature's thick neck, but he was quickly thrown off and hit the floor hard. 

Maxie pushed himself up into a sitting position and groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ow...Camerupt..." The steam escaping from Camerupt's nose dissipated as he relaxed. These were familiar surroundings, and that was a familiar face he just tossed to the ground. Camerupt stood up, albeit a little wobbly, and calmly walked over to Maxie. He nudged Maxie with his head, but he didn't stop there. He bulldozed right over Maxie despite the man's protests and stopped only when his trainer was trapped beneath him. 

Although his lungs were slowly being crushed, Maxie laughed and excitedly gave Camerupt's face all of the affection he could dish out with one free hand. "I've missed you so much, darling. I'm so sorry for making you go through all of that. You truly are the best partner someone could have asked for." Maxie buried half of his face in Camerupt's warm fur and the Pokemon ate up all of the affection. Happy little grunts escaped his throat. 

However, it was a squeak that took Maxie out of his moment of bliss. He looked to the side and saw Azumarill waiting impatiently for him. Impatiently and anxious. Maxie patted Camerupt again and tried to slide out from under him, but Camerupt wasn't done cuddling. Maxie made him feel safe, and Arceus knows he needed the comfort right now. Maxie could definitely see it on Camerupt's face. "It's okay, it's okay. You're awake and well and I promise I will never let anything like that happen to you again. Now, I need to wake Archie and Mightyena up and then I'll come straight back to you. Better yet, I'll come straight back to you with a big bowl of rawst berries, alright? I just need to do this real quick." 

Camerupt didn't want his owner to leave him, but his words were reassuring. Camerupt raised up just enough for Maxie to slide out from under him and get back onto his feet. 

Hopefully the lunar wing could be used multiple times. 

He straightened himself up and instead of going over to Archie, he went over to Mightyena. First, he released his own Mightyena for backup and then followed the same steps he did before when waking up Camerupt. He touched the lunar wing to Mightyena's forehead and waited until he saw him stir before he backed up. He expected Mightyena to jump up and attack him, but when the Pokemon opened his eyes, he received quite the opposite. The Pokemon was weak and looked miserable. He let out a little whimper and moved to cover his muzzle with his paws. It was like Maxie was some kind of terrifying monster. 

Maxie was about to reach out and comfort the pitiful creature, but his own Mightyena beat him to the punch. He scooted some food closer to the other dog and nuzzled against the top of his head. Slowly, Mightyena raised up and hesitantly returned to the world around him. 

Since Mightyena had that taken care of, it was time to get his annoying roommate back. 

Archie looked just as miserable as before. He also hasn't moved an inch since the last time Maxie took a good look at him. 

"You are so lucky I have morals," he mumbled. He placed the lunar wing on his forehead and let it do its work. Archie stirred. A few seconds later, he finally shot up. His eyes were wide, his limbs shaky, his breath heavy. It startled Maxie enough that he had to take a step back. 

Archie placed a hand over his chest and looked around frantically. Since Archie wasn't a lovable sentient volcano with an adorable face, he decided to keep his distance and let the man have some space. After a moment, Maxie reached out and placed a cautious hand on his shoulder. 

"Easy now, Archie. You are unfortunately back in the world of the living." 

Archie's silence was unsettling. Even though he was looking around, trying to figure things out for himself, Maxie noticed that the look in his eyes was kind of distant. 

Azumarill let out a thrilled squeak and pushed past Maxie, nearly knocking him over. Archie's eyes went wide when she jumped into his lap and he looked like he was about to push her off, but ended up wrapping his arms around her instead. He laid back down and buried his face in Azumarill's squishy body.

Mightyena was taking care of Archie's Mightyena and now it looked like Azumarill could take care of Archie. Good. Now Maxie could put all of his attention to Camerupt. 

He turned to leave Archie alone, but the other's voice stopped him. 

"Maxie?" Archie's voice was ragged and raspy, probably due to the severe lack of water in his system. Before Maxie could cuddle up with Camerupt for the night, he knew that he would have to serve drinks and water to all of the heads living under this roof. 

"Hm?" Maxie hummed and turned his head toward the other. Archie was holding onto Azumarill like a giant plush toy. She might as well be with that soft body of hers. "Are you in need of evidence that you are actually in the land of the living? I most certainly will oblige if you need me to smack you across your stupid face."

Archie opened his mouth to say something, but for once in his life he seemed to have thought against it. After a moment, he finally spoke as if he was still trying to place the words together in his head. "I've been...asleep?"

That response surprised Maxie. He turned his full attention toward Archie. "Yes. You have been for three days. Well, possibly four. It was hard to say how long you were out before your Crobat led me to you. I must say, you have done a plethora of idiotic things in your life, but by far the second stupidest thing I am aware of is the fact that you were trying to start a fight with Darkrai of all things," said the man who started a fight with Darkrai of all things. 

"Darkrai?"

"Yes, Darkrai. It is a Pokemon that has a tendency to place people and Pokemon alike in nonstop nightmares. In fact, it is the same Pokemon you mentioned you were skeptical about when we were leaving Hoenn. But fortunately, the Great Maxie decided to be merciful on you and Mightyena and found the antidote," he said and wagged the lunar wing in the air for Archie to see. Archie didn't look too impressed, but then again, he didn't look like he was completely in the world to begin with. "Needless to say, you owe me."

Archie groaned and rubbed his face. "Didn't I save your sorry ass from drowning when you decided to go overboard?"

Maxie was silent as he adjusted his glasses. He hasn't bothered to put in contacts during this fiasco. "Fine. We're even."

"That's more like it."

"You may be awake now, but I bet I could smother you and you would be too weak to fight back," Maxie grumbled. 

Now that everyone was awake, the atmosphere in the air became more comfortable, joyous even. Maxie left the living room and went into the kitchen to fetch food and water for the trio. Within all of the commotion, he completely forgot about his newly obtained Gligar. Now that he had the lunar wing, he planned on releasing the creature. However, it looked like Gligar was quickly becoming fond of its new environment. All of the food was gone and it hung close to Crobat up on his usual perch. Maxie figured he could wait until tomorrow before he made the decision to release Gligar back into the wild.

Since Maxie's energy was wearing thin now that he he had his beloved Camerupt back, he didn't go all out for dinner. He fixed the Pokemon their bowls, giving all of them special treats to go along with it like their favorite berries and their favorite Pokeblocks. For Archie's Mightyena, he gave him a little extra food to help get his energy up as well as enough water to quench his thirst. In fact, he made sure that the nightmare trio had plenty of water to get their hydration levels up first and foremost. Archie's glass was gone by Maxie's second trip to the living room. 

Once he had the Pokemon taken care of, he focused on making human food for him and Archie. He didn't feel like making a big meal even though he certainly could eat one. He settled for making grilled cheese and a quick soup. If Archie wanted to complain, then Maxie wouldn't hesitate to take it back. 

Finally, the last of the food was fixed and Maxie carried two plates into the living room. On his a single grilled cheese was sliced in half and was pressed up against the bowl of soup in the middle. Since Archie was a much bigger man than he was, and also probably a lot hungrier than he was as well, he fixed the man two sandwiches. He placed Archie's plate on the coffee table in front of him. By the time Maxie had made himself comfortable on the floor next to Camerupt, Archie rose up and took the plate in his hands. 

"Hey Maxie?"

"If you say anything about me being a horrible cook, I will have you know I am tired and not in much of a mood to be criticized by the man who needed me to save his life."

"Damn. Really jumped on that one, didn't ya?" Archie lightly snickered and leaned back against the couch. He looked just as exhausted as Maxie felt. At least Maxie had the warm and comfortable Camerupt to lean on, and honestly, once the food was in his system he was probably going to end up sleeping in this position as well. "I was just...why'd ya wake me up?"

Maxie took a bite of his sandwich before he answered. "A number of reasons, actually. Azumarill hasn't been letting me sleep, so there was no doubt she would have killed me the moment you stopped breathing. Two, the townspeople have been getting on my nerves as of late. If you died, the barrage of sympathy would have been unbearable. For three, if there is one force in the world that is going to be the death of you, it most certainly will be me and only me."

Archie shook his head, but didn't even try to hide the grin on his face. "Keep on thinkin' that, Maxie. If ya haven't killed me yet, ya ain't going to. That's just a fact."

"I am definitely taking that as a fucking challenge." 

Maxie saw Archie pick up the wet rag that was previously on his forehead and knew damn well what he was going to do with it. He was too tired and proud to move out of the way, so the most he could do was protect his food as Archie ultimately threw the rag at him. It landed on his shoulder and then slid down to the floor. "Fuckin' nerd."

Maxie kicked the gross rag away from him and melted back into Camerupt's warm fur. It felt really nice to have everything back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! Sorry it took so long! I had other projects I was working on but I was determined to get this updated before school started again. As always, feel free to send any questions/comments/concerns to either the comment section here or to my fic blog authorazumarill.tumblr.com! I always love talking to you guys about anything and everything Archie and Maxie related. 
> 
> Next time: The adventures of babysitting.


	10. Ecoterrorists Turned Babysitters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie and Maxie may not have the best track record with children, but Maxie can't refuse to help a mother in need.

"Arceus, are we ever going to get rid of this annoying pest?" Maxie groaned as he looked out the screen door in the kitchen. Bucky had struck again last night. Their trash can was overturned and garbage littered their yard. It was such a shame. They were only one day away from the trash collection running as well. 

"I dunno. I mean, I've lived with ya for what? Two months now? I'm beginning to lose hope," Archie grumbled, not so much from responding to Maxie, but rather due to the work he was doing. Currently, he was under the sink, wrapping up his attempt to fix a leaky pipe. Well, it wasn't necessarily an attempt. He knew exactly what he was doing and refused to let Maxie even so much as look at the sink until he fixed it. The soft kick he received to his thigh in retaliation for his previous quip didn't hinder his focus. 

"Hush. However, while we're on the topic of annoyances, are you almost finished? I have berries to wash and Pokemon to feed."

"There's a perfectly good hose outside."

"It is also cold and I have no idea if that disease ridden Bidoof is still out there."

Archie groaned as he sat up. Maybe it was the fact he was getting old or maybe it was due to the fact that he's been sleeping on a stiff couch for the past two months, but his back did not want to work like it used to. "Whatever. It should be fixed."

He rose to his feet and was about to turn the faucet on to check, but a golden opportunity stopped him. He turned his head to look out the screen door from where he was standing with fake interest. "Oh hey. Speak of Giratina and he shall appear. I think I see Bucky out there." 

That caught Maxie's interest. "He better not be for his own sake! I am sick and tired of these shenanigans," he ranted as he marched back over to the screen door. 

While Maxie continued to rant about how he was going to turn the Bidoof into barbecue, Archie grabbed the sink hose and turned the water on. The pipes didn't leak and Maxie shouted as the cold water unexpectedly hit his body. 

"It's back to normal!" Archie laughed loudly and let the hose redact back to its spot. 

"Archie, you inconsiderate-ugh!" This was great. Maxie was too mad to even complete his sentences. It was always so amusing seeing his pale face turn red and his collected composure fight against his urge to throw some hands. Archie didn't even try to his the stupid grin on his face. 

It felt nice to smile again like that, even at Maxie's expense. 

The first month since the escape came with dealing with all of the guilt from nearly ending the world as they knew it. Then the event with Darkrai happened, and honestly, the three days he spent trapped in a never ending nightmare were by far the worst days of his life. The following few days that came with readjusting himself to the world of the living were a close second, but fortunately, Maxie didn't give him much shit while he was still getting his strength back. Actually, Maxie was pretty decent toward him during that time. He has yet to mention any of the nightmares he experienced to Maxie and didn't plan on telling him in the future. Maxie was a lot of things. Annoying, demanding, prideful, the list could go on. However, Archie was beginning to see that the man could be understanding. 

Maxie only asked about the nightmares once. They were both in the living room, minding their own business. Maxie seemed like he was intrigued with his book and Archie had been looking up local jobs because face it, the Aqua money wasn't going to last forever. It would last a while, but not forever. Without much of a warning, Maxie came right out and asked. His words were cautious, as if the words that left his mouth were being thrown straight into a minefield. He was curious to know what his nightmares were, and there was no doubt that he was going to apply Archie's answer to figure out what kind of hell Camerupt had been through during that time. 

Archie had been doing his best to block out those thoughts. He wanted to forget that his tango with Darkrai even happened. That one hesitant question was enough to bust through the flood gates. Archie removed himself from the room to recollect himself and when he returned, the nightmares were never brought up again.

At least, by Maxie they weren't. Going into town was a new kind of hell. Archie was a social creature, but now he was beginning to see what people meant when they talked about "social hell." Maxie was praised as a hero and that stroked his ego like an expensive hooker. Not only did he fight off Darkrai and save the town (which Archie refuses to believe without proof), but he also gave the lunar wing to Nurse Joy so she could wake up the other victims of Darkrai's nightmare spree. Hoenn's Most Wanted turned into local town hero practically overnight. 

Archie, on the other hand, was being treated like some kind of damsel in distress who was "so lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend." People continually gave him their sympathies and a few curious souls even asked what all his nightmares consisted of. Archie normally excused himself at that point, but there have been a few instances were Maxie stepped in and dragged him away, playing the role of his ditzy boyfriend to its fullest. Maybe Maxie should have looked into being an actor instead of the leader of an ecoterrorist organization. He was pretty good at what he did. 

Things were better now though. It's been a little less than a month but those raw emotions were healing over. He found ways to distract himself like by fixing things around the house (and in other people's houses for that matter). Even Maxie was impressed with how more efficient the house was now that Archie had time to kill and memories to suppress. 

Things weren't going to change unless he put effort into changing them. Considering he awakened a god to change the world, it was going to take a lot to keep him down. He will admit, he was knocked off of his feet for a while, but he was staggering back to his feet. 

Now the only nightmare he had to deal with was living with Maxie. It's actually been pretty tolerable as of late, but that peace had to come to an end now that Archie started something. Archie closed the doors to the sink and packed up the tools he had been using. "There. Now ya can wash as many berries as ya want. I know that Floaroma town has the biggest supply of berries I've ever seen, but with how your Camerupt eats rawst berries I'm surprised they haven't declared a famine yet."

Archie could feel Maxie's icy glare on the back of his head. What he wasn't expecting was to feel a spray of water hit the back of his head. He flinched away and stretched out his arm to cover some of Maxie's sink hose attack. 

"What's the matter, Archie? I thought you loved being soaked." Maxie laughed mischievously. 

"Gimme that!" 

Normally, Azumarill was here to break up whatever fights they had, but she was an old Pokemon and liked to sleep so she was currently tucked away in her ball. The only Pokemon they had out right now were their Mightyenas and Maxie's Gligar. Maxie attempted to release her, but she ended up liking the fact that she was fed three times a day and refused to leave. All three of them were in the living room so no one was around to break up a fight. 

Good. 

Archie reached out and grabbed Maxie's wrist, pulling it down so the water would hit the floor instead of his face. Maxie struggled in his grasp, but it was practically impossible for him to match again Archie's muscles. That didn't stop him from fighting Archie to keep him from getting the hose. The water flicked on and off during their struggle. The floor was covered in water and proved to be a slippery obstacle for the two. 

Before the fight could take a drastic turn with one of them falling, therefore allowing the one still standing to claim victory, a knock at the door made both of their heads shoot up. They had gotten into the habit of staying quiet when they saw someone approach their door so that way they could pretend they weren't home, but with all of the ruckus they caused now there was no way that excuse could fly. 

"Just a minute!" Archie called and released Maxie from his grasp. Maxie sprayed him one final time before letting the hose redact to the sink. He quickly scanned over the mess they made and pulled out some hand towels from one of the drawers and threw them down to soak up some of the water. Mopping their mess up sounded like the better option here, but they were also short on time. 

They scrambled out of the kitchen. Maxie's soaking socks proved to provide little to no traction on the tile floor of their kitchen. He fell back, but instead of letting him tumble down Archie caught him and quickly pushed him back to a standing position. 

"Is everything okay in there?" a muffled lady's voice came from behind the door. 

"Oh yes! We just had a little accident here in the kitchen! We will be with you in just a moment." Maxie called out nicely, but the second he was finished talking his face turned murderous. He tugged off his socks as Archie headed for the door, but his eyes went wide with realization. 

"Archie, Archie!" His voice was a quiet, but urgent. Archie turned to look at him. "You're face!" He motioned to the X between his eyes. Since Archie didn't plan on going out today he never bothered to cover up his scar. Goddammit. Why did the people in this town have to be so friendly?

"Right, right. Stall for me, or better yet, get them to go away," he whispered as he passed by Maxie. Maxie handed him the soaking socks since he was headed for the bathroom and quickly slipped on a pair of house slippers since it was apparently sinful for him to run around the house barefooted. 

Archie flung himself into the bathroom and tossed the gross socks into the hamper. He heard Maxie quickly switch gears and cheerfully greet the lady at the door. Hopefully he can get them to go away and Archie wouldn't have to go through with putting on any more make up, but based on their experiences with the neighbors for the past two months, they tend to stay and chat for at least half an hour before finally leaving no matter what excuse Archie and Maxie pull in order to get them to leave. 

As Archie quickly covered up his scar, Maxie kept the lady at the door, telling her about the little fiasco they had with the sink. It explained why the kitchen was a soaking mess and why he was a soaking mess as well. There was no doubt that the cold air suddenly hitting Maxie's wet shirt and hair was killing him, and under better circumstances Archie would have stayed in the bathroom to let him suffer, but he had social obligations to take care of. 

A few moments later, Archie considered his job of covering up his scar good enough and wandered out of the bathroom. He wandered up to Maxie just as the man was finishing up with his story and sneaked a hand around his waist. Both of them found faking the affection hard at first, but they soon got used to it and knew it meant absolutely nothing. Maxie jumped a little at the sudden touch but soon relaxed. 

"And there's the man of the hour now," Maxie laughed lightly. 

"Hey. So what's happening?" he asked both to Maxie and the lady at the door. The lady was not alone either. At her hip was a young boy. He couldn't have been older than seven or eight. His eyes were looking at the men curiously as his mother gently rubbed his arm. 

"Oh, well, I didn't really have much of a chance to say why I'm here, but now I don't have to repeat myself," the lady laughed nervously. "I'm Ayako and this handsome man is Lucas. I've been meaning to come around for a while now but I haven't had the chance until now. You see, when Darkrai came to town, Lucas was...well, he was one of the unfortunate victims. Since you were the one who found the lunar wing to wake him up, Xavier, I just wanted to let you know how thankful I am."

Ayako looked down at Lucas and squeezed his arm. That squeeze was enough to bring him back into the real world. "Huh? Oh, oh yeah! Thanks a bunch, Mr. Xavier!"

That smile Archie caught on Maxie's face was genuine. He truly did love all of this attention he's been receiving as of late. Archie had to hold his tongue to keep from saying something snarky. "Well thank you. I appreciate it, but you didn't have to go out of your way just to stop by just to tell me that. I was simply doing what was best for our little town." Archie wanted to gag as Maxie spoke. 

"Oh, well, you see, I wanted to drop by and ask you that, but I also had another favor to ask." There it was. 

"Hm? And what might that be?" Maxie asked. 

Ayako was hesitant for a moment before finally speaking. "I really hate to ask this of you two since we've never really talked, but I need to go to work and my normal babysitter canceled on me quite literally half an hour ago, so I was wondering if you two wouldn't mind watching Lucas for a few hours. I know it's a lot to ask on such a short notice, and it's perfectly okay if you refuse."

As Ayako continued to ramble on about how they didn't have to do it if they didn't want to, Maxie and Archie exchanged looks. Archie certainly didn't want a kid in their house. If he was just normal Bernie Cortez, then it wouldn't be so much of a problem. However, he wasn't. He was the former Team Aqua leader and although most of his ties to the organization were "lost at sea," he didn't want some kid snooping through his stuff. Plus, he can keep up this charade with Maxie for a short period of time while they were out in public. In the privacy of their own home they could insult each other mercilessly. They couldn't do that with a kid around. 

Maxie waited until Ayako finished her say before he spoke again. "So...would it be until you come home or until his dad comes home?"

That question clearly didn't sit right with Ayako. She tensed up a little bit and took a nervous glance down at Lucas before turning her attention back to the men. In his arm, Archie could feel Maxie tense up as well. He regretted asking that question. 

"It's...it's just me right now. That's why I'm a little short handed right now. But like I said, it's alright if you can't. In fact, it might just be better to go on and take him to work with me," she said and glanced down at her watch. "I'm really sorry to bother you like this."

"It's not-" Archie planned on saying "It's not a problem," and then let her carry on with her life, but Maxie interrupted him. He reached out and placed a gentle hand on Ayako's shoulder as he turned to leave. 

"Nonsense! We would be more than happy to watch Lucas for you. I was just asking for curiosity's sake, so uh, sorry for the insensitivity."

Ayako's face brightened up and Archie had to do everything in how power to keep his jaw from dropping. Maxie liked his peace and quiet. He also never seemed too fond of kids either, especially since two managed to defeat him and ruined his lifelong goal of expanding the landmass. Was there a ghost in the house that possessed him right then and there? Has Archie been trapped in a dream for the past month, only for it to now return back to its nightmare state? 

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around Maxie. "I promise he won't be too much trouble. Lucas can give you my number. I would, but I need to get going. Please don't hesitate to call if you need anything at all." She released Maxie from the hug and then proceeded to give Lucas a hug and kiss goodbye.

Once she left, Maxie ushered Lucas into their home and Archie shut the door. He needed to talk to Maxie, but he couldn't come right out and say it because, well, there was a child here. 

"Make yourself at home, scamp," Archie said, then turned his attention to Maxie who flashed him a nervous smile. "Hey X, real quick, there was something I was wantin' to show ya in the bedroom earlier and lemme show you know before I forget."

"You never-" Archie gave him a quick warning glare and Maxie caught on. "Oh, oh yes! You did mention that earlier, didn't you? We will just be a moment, Lucas. Like Bernie said, make yourself at home."

"Okay, thanks," Lucas said absentmindedly. He was too busy looking around the new house to really pay attention to them. Archie threw an arm over Maxie's shoulders and walked with him into the bedroom. Once the door was closed, Maxie quickly got out of Archie's grasp and put plenty of distance between them before the man could strangle him. 

"I know what you're thinking-"

"You can't just let a kid into the house!" Archie was mad, but he was cautious to keep his voice low. "There's no tellin' what he'll get into!"

"Most of our Aqua and Magma stuff is tucked away under the bed and in the closet. He would have to hold a full on raid before he found anything," Maxie was quick to counter. 

"Still! Our home is the one place where I can openly talk shit on you, and I know damn well you like insulting me too. I also know damn well that both of us hate putting on this act."

"Sometimes we just have to deal with the unpleasantness of life, now don't we?" Maxie folded his arms over his chest and held his head high. "While this is not an optimal situation for us, I do not regret my decision. It wasn't like we had anything planned for the day either. This won't kill us."

Archie threw his head back and muffled a groan with his hands. "You're like the last person I would'a ever thought would babysit someone's kid. You hate kids."

"There is a difference between disliking children and being a dick to children. You can thank May for that lesson." Archie groaned again and Maxie rolled his eyes. "You can complain all you want, but I still refuse to regret my decision. There was a mother out there who needed our help, and if helping her out is a crime as massive as what we did with Aqua and Magma, then I will happily go on and turn myself in."

"Sweet Arceus, don't play that card and make me feel guilty. She stroked your ego and that's why you ended up helpin'-" Archie managed to remove his hands from his face just in time to see one of the knick knacks from Maxie's bedside table come flying at him. He moved just in time to avoid it. Based on how it crashed against the wall, Maxie was ready and willing to take Archie's head off due to that comment. 

Maxie marched right up to Archie and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to eye level. "Believe it or not, but for once in my life I am doing something not out of spite of you. There was a mother that needed assistance and I know all too well what is going on in that mother's head. If someone where there to aid my own mother, I sincerely believe that we would not be having this conversation right now. If you absolutely cannot stand to be in the same house as a child for a few mere hours, then you are more than welcome to leave my house and come back only when you straighten yourself up."

Archie was quite honestly shocked. The fiery green eyes that stared at him were kinda...scary. Maxie released Archie from his grasp with a scowl. "Now, if you would be so kind, get the fuck out of my way. I have Pokemon to feed. I am also sure that Lucas would want something to eat." 

Archie was about to step out of the way, but something stopped him. "Oh yeah. Feed the Pokemon who have a striking resemblance to the team Archie and Maxie from Hoenn used."

"He is a child. Even when I was his age I watched Hoenn Rangers more often than not. I bet he doesn't know what's going on in his own backyard with Team Galactic, let alone what happened in Hoenn. Now move."

Their eyes stayed connected before finally Archie moved out of the way. Maxie brushed past him, bumping against his shoulder as he left the room. 

Archie let out a deep sigh and tried to calm himself. Heading out for the day sounded nice. It sounded real nice. This was Maxie's problem. However, he still couldn't help but feel a little guilty, especially after what Maxie said. It was strange to hear that come out of the "great" Maxie. It didn't sound like him. His words sounded...humane. 

He heard chatter come from the kitchen and sighed silently to himself. Maxie was hailed as the town hero. What did that make him? The quiet boyfriend that kept to himself? Even though Archie was more of a socialite, Maxie has been handling most of their social situations. 

That wasn't going to fly with him. 

He stepped out of the room and wandered into the kitchen. Gligar had perched herself onto Maxie's back like a tiny sentient backpack and their Mightyenas were sniffing Lucas curiously. He backed away from the creatures, holding his hands close to his chest like he was afraid that they were going to bite them off. Since Maxie's back was turned, he didn't see it. 

"Ay, there's no need to be afraid of 'em. They're harmless," Archie said and knelt down beside his Mightyena and scratched his head. Immediately, Mightyena tilted his head and licked Archie's cheek. "If anythin' they're real friendly."

Maxie glanced over his shoulder and then went back to his activity, which was cutting the tops off of the berries. "Yours is a little too friendly." 

"Are you sure they're not gonna bite me?" Lucas asked hesitantly. "One of the villains on Sinnoh Rangers has a Mightyena and its really mean."

"Well, we're not villains, now are we?" Archie commented. "Go on. Give him a pet."

Hesitantly, Lucas reached his hand out and let Mightyena sniff it. Before he could reach up to pet him, Mightyena licked his hand and the kid giggled. He finally reached out and gave both of the Mightyenas gentle pets. "Do they have any toys?"

"Yep. The spoiled brats have a basket of stuff in the living room. Have at it, kid," Archie said and Lucas brightened up. He motioned for the pooches to follow him as he trotted into the living room. Archie stood up and leaned against the counter, stealing an oran berry from the bowl. 

"So you decided to straighten up?" Maxie grumbled, holding his knife threateningly when Archie went to steal another berry. 

"I just needed a moment to get over the shock is all." He shrugged. "It's not everyday I get to see you do something out of the goodness of your heart. I didn't think ya still had one."

"I didn't believe you still had a brain, and quite honestly I have found little evidence that says you do. Now, if you're going to stand there you can at least help." Maxie held out the handle of a knife to him by Archie pushed off the counter. 

"Nah. I'm gonna make sure the scamp doesn't break anything, and if he does, it's one of your things," Archie said and stole one more berry before going into the living room. Lucas was currently having a tug of war fight with Maxie's Mightyena. The other Mightyena was busy chewing on his favorite Mudkip doll. 

Finally, Lucas gave up and let Mightyena have the rope as he fell backwards. "They're so strong! Did you guys used to be trainers?" 

Archie snickered and leaned on the back of the couch. "Yeah. We used to be trainers. We started out in Kanto, then we went to Johto, and then ended up staying in Hoenn for a long while. We ended up going back to Kanto for a couple of years and now we're here."

"Whoa!" Lucas climbed up on the couch and propped himself up on his knees. "That's so cool. I can't wait until I can start my own adventure and be an awesome trainer. I bet that it's really exciting."

Those words were music to Archie's ears. "It definitely was. Say...you wanna hear 'bout the time I wrestled not one, not two, but three Sharpedos at the same time?"

Lucas' eyes went wide and his smiled lit up the room. "You wrestled three Sharpedos?!"

Archie nodded and hopped over the couch to sit down. "Aye, that I did. Y'see, I spent a lot of time out at sea when I was younger. There ain't a Pokemon Center you can stop at when you're in the middle of the ocean, so if your Pokemon are feeling rough and you're low on supplies, sometimes ya gotta take matters into your own hands."

Archie then proceeded to tell him the long and epic tale of how he wrestled three Sharpedos like the sailor he was. Lucas was eating up every word he had to offer, constantly asking questions and getting more involved in his story than any of the Aqua grunts ever did. 

In the background, Maxie had released their Pokemon and set out food for them. He also handed a bowl of berries to Lucas before settling down in the chair next to the couch. Maxie was honestly kind of worried about how he was going to keep a child entertained for a few hours, but based on how Archie was carrying on, he would end up finishing his Sharpedo story by the time Ayako came strolling back in. 

That wasn't so much the case. At least, not entirely. Lucas sincerely enjoyed Archie's story, but he enjoyed playing with their Pokemon even more. He was in awe over Camerupt's size, claiming that it wasn't a wonder that such a huge thing was able to take down Darkrai. 

However, after the introductions to the Pokemon were finished, Lucas climbed back on the couch and practically begged Archie for more stories from his trainer years. The man, who has been desperately looking for someone to willingly listen to his stories, was happy to cave in. Maxie stayed silent as Archie raved about his experiences. Every so often he would interrupt with a quick story of his own to make himself seem interesting, but for the most part, Archie had the floor. 

Listening to story after story, while exciting, was also pretty exhausting for a kid. When nature called and Archie excused himself to a quick bathroom break, Lucas laid down and by the time Archie returned a mere minute or so later, the kid was passed out on the couch. 

"Congratulations. You bore a child to sleep," Maxie taunted. Archie rolled his eyes and leaned on the back of his chair. He saw the book Maxie currently had in his hands had words in it and instantly tuned out to it. 

"See, I think you're wrong. I see it more as the excitement from the day tuckered the scamp out, y'know, like we ya go to an amusement park and your dad ends up carryin' ya back to the car."

"I have to say your experience is not universal, but I get your point." Maxie flipped the page. "For someone who didn't want to babysit a child, you have been fully invested in him today." Although Maxie didn't look up at him, Archie could still see the hint of a smirk on his lips. 

"Yeah, well, he's the first person in a while who's wanted to listen to me. This is a nice change."

"That someone wants to listen to your bizarre tales?"

"That, and I gotta relive a bunch of good memories. I mean, it's just been a while since I've taken a nice trip down memory lane." Nice was the key word there. He's been taking a lot of trips down memory lane as of late, but none of them were pleasant. 

"I must say, as far fetched as most of those stories were, you are a halfway decent storyteller. Perhaps one day when I'm bored out of my mind you could tell me a story or two, just to past the time."

Archie rose a brow with interest and smirked. "You like hearin' my voice, huh?"

"Make an assumption like that again and I'll hit you with my book," Maxie warned and Archie snickered. "But I will say I must thank you. I wasn't entirely for sure how I was going to keep Lucas entertained. I didn't want to turn on the television to something that would do nothing but rot his brain, but at the same time I'm not as energetic as you. For once, you really helped me out by taking my plans into your own hands. So...thank you, Archie."

Archie felt warm and fuzzy inside and he didn't really like it. Well, he liked the feeling, but he didn't necessarily like the fact that Maxie was the reason he was feeling it. 

"Eh, don't mention it. It was fun talkin' to the kid." He paused for a second and tilted Maxie a little further back in his chair than he would have liked. "Maybe we could tell Ayako that we can be backup babysitters for Lucas if she ever needs one again?"

"Sit me back up straight and I will agree to that deal." Archie complied and raised Maxie back up. 

He pushed himself off of the chair and flopped down on the couch, careful not to wake Lucas up. 

"Archie's a big softie," Maxie quietly teased, taking a glance over at the man. 

"Aw, shut it." 

However, Maxie's words were rather accurate and Archie knew it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! I wasn't expecting to get this chapter done so quickly, but it's on the short side and I wanted to go on and get it out of the way while I had nothing better to do. Plus, I've been waiting to write the next chapter for months so now it's finally time. As always, you can leave any questions/comments/concerns in the comments below or hmu at authorazumarill.tumblr.com! 
> 
> Next time: The Shaymin Festival.


	11. The Shaymin Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Always be sure to take a coat before you leave the house. Without it, you might catch some feelings.

"Archie, what in the world is taking you so long?" Maxie groaned from the kitchen. Archie rolled his eyes, rubbing his stubby cheek as he looked in the mirror. He needed to shave, but he sincerely didn't want to. The air was getting colder and he really needed the extra warmth. Plus, like Maxie who wanted his long hair and natural color back, Archie wanted his beard back. He could style it a different way and surely no one would put two and two together. For now though, Archie could only get away with a little bit of stubble before Maxie hounded his ass to shave. 

Brooding about his lack of a beard was only partially the reason why he has spent the last twenty minutes in the bathroom. Half of the time wasted came from goofing around on an app on his PokeNav and the other half was spent covering up his scar. Today was a big day, so he wanted to make sure nothing was showing. He will admit, he has been getting pretty sloppy as of late, but that was only because he didn't find it necessary to get all decked out if he was going to make a ten minute run to the nearest PokeMart. 

Also, it was pretty fun giving Maxie a taste of his own medicine. 

"Chill out, I'm comin'," he replied. A moment later he stepped out of the bathroom and ran a hand through his hair. "What even is this thing again? Whatever is it, all the ruckus the set up's been causin' has been annoying me for the past week."

"The people of Sinnoh love their legends, and apparently Floaroma Town has close ties to the mythical Pokemon Shaymin," Maxie explained because he couldn't give a simple answer like a normal human being. Here he was getting onto Archie for wasting time. "From what I have gathered from the local gossip, once a year near the end of the town's berry harvest the locals hold a festival in honor of the Pokemon and thanking it for the harvest they had, be it plentiful or not. Mr. Anderson said that it used to be a local thing, but now that, and I quote, the 'money grabbing hoe we got for mayor,' end quote came into office, he expanded it in the hopes of making a nice profit. It must have worked out well in his favor because people come from all over Sinnoh to partake in this event."

While Maxie spoke, he finished getting ready himself. He threw on his coat and wrapped a scarf around his turtlenecked collar. The sun was high in the sky so it wasn't too terribly cold outside, so his attire was a little extreme. However, this was the same man that wore pretty much the exact same outfit inside of a volcano. Archie had on a long sleeve shirt and a dark leather jacket to keep him warm, and really, that's all he needed. Well, a beard would be nice, but no man could have everything his heart desired. 

"An' you're actually lookin' forward to this?"

"Are you not?" Maxie quipped. 

"I'm always down for a good festival. I doubt it'll live up to Slateport's annual shindig though. Besides, you've never seemed like the kinda guy who would have a fun time at actually fun events." Archie shrugged. Maxie placed his hands on his hips like an irritated mother. 

"Believe it or not, but I do find plenty of recreational activities fun. Do you think my only source of entertainment comes from reading about fault lines?" Archie was silent, so that indicated yes. Yes he did. He's seen the books that he reads and all of them are pretty much textbook levels of boring. "Unbelievable."

"Whatever. Are ya ready? Like, it's open now, right?" Just to make sure he wasn't completely off track, Archie pulled out his PokeNav and looked at the time. 

"It should be, yes. I've been hearing a lot of commotion outside, so I believe that's evidence enough." Maxie patted his pockets to make sure he had everything before heading to the door. Archie was quick to follow him.

When Maxie said that he's been hearing a lot of commotion, he wasn't kidding. The quiet town of Floaroma was bustling with life today. People neither of them have seen before littered the streets, all of them heading in the same direction. The festival was being held in the northern part of town, so it was a little bit of a walk from their house but it wasn't anything inconvenient like the trip from Floaroma to Jubilife. 

With so many people out today, both of the men were a little on edge. People came from all around the region to the festival, so it wouldn't surprise either of them if people from other regions were to show up as well. Their disguises have been working extremely well for them. Archie's beard and scar were gone and Maxie recently broke out his contacts and dyed his hair again to get rid of his red roots. They should be okay, but they couldn't let their guard down too much.

To help their chances of staying safe, Archie reached out and grabbed Maxie's hand like he has done a hundred times before. At this point, showing affectionate acts toward one another hasn't been bothersome since they knew it was all for the act. Maxie interlaced their fingers and hummed in thought. "Don't you think that the dogs would love to run around today, Bernie?" he mused. 

"I think they will, but the real question is whether or not we would love for them to run around today," he snickered. 

"Oh, don't be silly. We've trained them well. I know they know how to behave themselves. Their company would be nice." It was also normal for couples to flaunt off their matching Pokemon. Everyone in town knew they had matching Mightyenas and Crobats and thought they were absolutely adorable, so they might as well play it up as much as they could. 

Finally, like the good "boyfriend" Archie is, he caved in. "Alright, alright. I trust 'em." Both of them grabbed their Pokeballs and released the Mightyenas. Upon being released, both of them wagged their tails at the sight of each other before Archie's finally made the first move and tackled Maxie's pooch. All it took was a friend to turn two old dogs into energetic Poochyenas again. "Ay, ay, that's enough playin'," Archie called. It took them a second, but they finally separated and looked up at their owners. "You guys can hang out with us, but be good. Don't go off chasin' other people and Pokemon, yadda yadda."

The Mightyenas seemed to understand. They trotted a few feet in front of their owners, looking as excited as a couple of kids. Archie softly smiled at the sight of them. He would have never guessed they would ever become the best of friends, but he also never would have thought that he would be holding hands with Maxie like he was doing right now. A lot can change in a couple of months, that was for sure. 

Floaroma had a reputation as being the sweetest smelling town in all of Sinnoh due to the plethora of flowers and berries that covered nearly every inch of ground. Today though, there were new scents in the air. Primarily, the delicious scent of food. The scent grew stronger and stronger the closer they got to the festival grounds. Archie's mouth was practically watering by the time they reached the crowded entrance. This was certainly the largest population of people Archie has ever seen in Floaroma. It seemed very uncharacteristic for such a small town, so this Shaymin Festival must be a bigger deal that he thought. 

Once they put some distance between them and the entrance of the fairgrounds, they finally had the chance to take a deep breath and take in the sight. Lines of tented stands filled practically every inch of the area. Each one provided it's own unique service. From where Archie was standing, he could already see a food stand. His mind paid no attention to the homemade craft stand right beside it or the various necklaces and rings on the jewelry stand beside it. Above them were hundreds of paper lanterns dancing with the light breeze. Since the sun was high in the sky they only served as decoration, but there was no doubt that once the sun set the lanterns would look absolutely stunning. Above all of the shacks he saw sparks from an electrical attack fly into the air before fading out of existence. There must be a makeshift battle field here as well. 

"Oh Bernie, there's so much to do! What do you think we should do first?" Maxie asked and looked up at him. Archie knew damn well what he wanted to do.

"I dunno 'bout you, but I'm definitely gonna see just how good this festival food is," he said and gently pulled Maxie along with him. Maxie didn't put up a fight since he didn't have a reason to, but Archie's pace said he was on a mission while Maxie was solely here for the ride. 

Maxie covered his mouth and laughed lightly as he tried to keep up the pace. He was too good at this act. "I've learned a long time ago that you're love for food knows no bounds."

Fortunately for them, the line for the food stand was on the shorter side of things while the festival was still kicking off. The closer they got to the front, the better they could see what kind of delicious smelling food the stand owners were serving. Normally they only cater to one specialty, and this specialty seemed to be some kind of kebab. After Archie ordered two of them, both of them reached for their wallets but Archie beat Maxie to the punch.

"I got this, X."

"Actually, neither of you need to get this," said the middle aged man from behind the stand. Both of them men looked up with surprise. 

"Pardon?" Maxie asked curiously. 

"Now, I know I'm gettin' old and I need a new pair of glasses, but even I can see you're that Xavier guy, right?" the man asked and Maxie nodded. "If it weren't for ya, then my little girl probably would'a never woken up after Darkrai attacked the town. Go on. These are on the house. I know it ain't a lot, but consider it my way to say thanks."

Archie and Maxie looked at each other, both with the same thought. The polite thing to do was to turn down the offer, but this was also free food.

"You don't need to do that," Maxie said right before he took the kebab sticks and handed one to Archie, "but I sincerely appreciate your gratitude. Thank you so much!"

"It's my pleasure. You two have a nice day, ya hear?"

"You too," both of them said as they walked away from the stand. The moment the first piece of grilled meat hit Archie's tongue, he was instantly in love. Neither of them were great cooks, but their food was edible. Take out was only tolerable at best as well. This, however, was a much needed change for his bored taste buds. 

"Aren't I the greatest?" Maxie mused, only pecking at his kebab. Archie had half of his ate by the time Maxie had his first piece. 

"Absolutely," he said without really being genuine about it. "You woke me up from a hellish nightmarescape and now you end up gettin' me free food. I must've been on Arceus' good side when he decided to give me you."

"Keep on thinking that," Maxie teased, idly looking around the endless amount of stalls. There was so much to do and so little time to do it in. He ended up pulling Archie to one of the jewelry stands. Archie was about to give him a snarky comment, but when Maxie handed him the remainder of his kebab he instantly shut up and let the man do his shopping. He looked at all of the gems intently whereas Archie let his eyes wander around, glancing at the dazzling golden necklaces on headless stands without much of a care. 

Finally, after a few minutes of looking and two kebabs later, Maxie pulled him out of the stand after making brief small talk with the owner. He held Archie's arm close and grumbled in his ear. "All of the gems in there were fake and that lady was claiming and charging them as the real thing. And people say we were true terrors. At least we didn't run an absolute scam operation."

Archie was not expecting to hear that in the slightest. He knew that Maxie was a rock freak, but he didn't think he would get so insulted by them. Plus, didn't he say all those months ago that scamming people into getting fake lunar wings would be alright in his eyes? "Are you that much of a rock nerd that seeing that kind of shit hurts?"

"Yes," Maxie was quick to respond. "But that's not the only reason. My mother is a jewelry maker and takes pride in her work. She charges appropriate prices based on the value of her work. She would never charge a plastic gem the same price as a real one," he spat out in disgust. 

"You wanna fight that chick? I'll totally play out the supportive boyfriend card and cheer you on as your rip that bitch apart." Archie grinned. Just the sheer thought of Maxie getting into a fight like a high schooler who doesn't really know the proper way to hold an entertaining fight was really amusing. He even caught a little glimpse of a grin on Maxie's face. 

"As much as I would like to, it would be best to stay in my own lane. Perhaps I could throw on my glasses, color my hair quickly and let Maxie take care of the problem while keeping Xavier's reputation in tact," he spoke quietly. He knew he was safe because it was hard to hear anything even above a normal talking level due to all of the commotion. 

"Maybe one day we can go out with a bang," Archie snickered. He turned his gaze away from a huffy Maxie and looked out to the rest of the festival. Something caught his eye though. It looked like a young teen was trying to impress her girlfriend by chucking a softball at a pyramid of milk bottles. It was a classic game, and it was a classic one to rig as well. She hit the pyramid dead in the center and ball still bounced off, only knocking the top bottle off. It looked like a forceful throw, so all of the bottles should have came tumbling down. Archie gently nudged Maxie and leaned in close. 

"Ya see that carnie game over there? The one with the milk bottles?" He vaguely gestured in that direction and Maxie nodded. "I can already see it's rigged as shit. You wanna ruin a scammer's day?"

Archie didn't even have to ask. A wicked grin crept across Maxie's face as he looked up at the man. "Give him hell." Archie matched the look on his face as he took Maxie's hand in his own and strolled over to the stand. 

"It's been a long while since I've won ya somethin', hasn't it?" he asked now that the owner of the stand was in earshot. Couples were always a target for cheesy stands like this. 

"A little too long. I wonder if you still have it in you," Maxie played along and playfully patted his bicep, only to get a little flustered at the touch. Archie had a feeling that he wasn't faking it that time. 

"Well, there's only one way to find out!" the owner of the stand interrupted like he was part of the conversation to begin with. He even looked like a sleazy carnival game scam artist with his red and white vertical striped shirt, bushy mustache, and bowler hat. "Step right up and see if you have what it takes to knock down the bottles. Two bottles gets ya a small prize and all the bottles get ya a large prize." He gestured to the wall of plush toys behind him. The wall should be labeled "average at best" because none of them were the gigantic four foot plushes that little kids go absolutely crazy over. They were around the average thirteen to fifteen inch plushes that were cute, but nothing special. 

"You better win me something nice," Maxie played and took a step away from Archie as the man smacked down the spare change on the counter to play this stupid rigged game. 

"Definitely will, X." The man took the money and handed him three baseballs. Already he could tell something was up. Baseballs weren't nearly this light. There also wasn't a doubt in his mind that the bottles were being weighed down with something, or better yet were glued to the table. Two things were already working against him, but he wasn't about to let some man with a stupid mustache prove him wrong. Anything was possible if enough force was put behind it. Archie took the first ball and tossed it in the air, just to get a feel for just how light it was. Pretty damn light, if he did say so himself. 

Archie caught the ball and chucked it at the pyramid. The most it did was move the middle bottles back maybe a centimeter, if that. 

"Ooooh, too bad. Still got two more shots Mr. Muscles." Archie was half tempted to chuck the ball at the owner's face.

Archie took the next ball and threw it at the pyramid, this time managing to knock down two of the bottles, one on top and one in the middle. The bottom ones definitely had to be weighted. He looked over his shoulder and glanced at Maxie, who in turn gave him a little reassuring smile like the good "boyfriend" he was. He gave the ball a toss and pulled his arm back. Using all of his might, he tossed the ball at the remainder milk bottles. Although the bottles didn't go flying like he would have liked, they were knocked over nonetheless. The sly smirk on the owner's face falter a little bit while a large smile spread on Archie's. Looks like he still had it. 

"As always, you keep your promise," Maxie said and wrapped his arms around Archie's award winning one. They both flashed each other mischievous grins, happy to ruin someone's day. Even though Archie deserved whatever plush he wanted, Maxie had a role of a needy boyfriend to fill and they both knew it. He hummed as he looked over the selection. Unfortunately, Numel plushes were a hard thing to come by, so he would have to make due with another Pokemon that looked cute and appealing. "I'll take that cute looking Growlithe."

"You heard him," Archie tormented the owner. Oh, it was so much fun watching the man put on a fake smile while staring daggers into the two men. He handed over the plush and Maxie took it into his arms. He gave it a nice squeeze just to see how soft it was and the result surprised him. It was so soft. Even Archie gave the nose a little squeeze as they stepped away from the stand to see for himself. 

"So those muscles aren't just for looks, huh?" Maxie teased.

"What? These ol' things?" Of course, at the talk of his muscles the man had to flex and flaunt them off. His tight sleeve looked like it was going to tear from the strain. He may have been covered up, but everything was still visible. Maxie laughed a little nervously and glanced away. Archie was sure that was part of the act, but he couldn't help but notice those soft blush on his cheeks. Was Maxie actually getting flustered? Archie was never going to let him live it down if he was. "Like what ya see?"

"Always do." Maxie reached out and gave Archie's arm a pat. It could have been an excuse to feel it again, but it also felt dismissive. "It might be best to put the gun show away though."

"Alright, alright. I'll give you your own personal show when we go home," he snickered, knowing damn well what he was doing. Maxie coughed into his fist and his cheeks burned brighter now. He didn't dare look at that sinister look in Archie's eyes. Instead, he looked around, quite literally any direction other than toward Archie. 

"Where are the Mightyenas?" he asked abruptly, not even trying subtly changing the topic. However, he did bring up a good point. He hasn't seen the dogs in a while, but he also hasn't heard anyone screaming in terror. 

"Huh. I dunno." Archie looked around as well. After a moment of searching and finding nothing, he whistled to get the Pokemon's attention, wherever he may be. A second later he heard a bark nearby along with the sounds of paws hitting the soft ground. Only Archie's Mightyena came. His tail was wagging and his tongue stuck out in the best way possible. Archie knelt down and ruffled up the fur on his head. "There ya are. Where's your partner in crime? You two ain't causin' trouble, are ya?"

Mightyena licked his face and then wiggled away from his hand. He trotted ahead of them, looking back to see if they were following. Both men looked at each other curiously, shrugged, and then followed the happy pooch. 

Carefully, they weaved through the thickening crowd. Mightyena was taking them on a trip, which only meant they would have to keep a closer eye on the two to keep them from wandering this far again. Mightyean barked again, this time ducking into one of the stalls selling merchandise for Pokemon, primarily toys and food. 

"Of course he's goin' there," Archie grumbled. 

"And if he's going there, then mine should already be there."

Maxie was right. His own Mightyena was laying down beside an old lady in a chair, tail lazily flopping back and forth. Well, it was until he saw his owner. His head perked up and his wags grew more excited. 

"What are you doing, you silly thing? Are you harassing this nice lady?" Mightyena got up and walked over to Maxie, gently bumping his head against his hip.

While Maxie gave a motherly scolding to the two, Archie looked up and gave a sheepish grin to the lady in the chair. "Sorry ma'am. They got excited and wandered off when we weren't lookin'. Hope they weren't bothering ya."

The old lady giggled into her hand and stood up with the assistance of a cane. "Oh nonsense! The little rascals were keeping me company, unlike a certain no good husband of mine. I sent him out to get some food half an hour ago! I envy you two. You got a good thing going, both being husbands and all. It cancels out the awfulness, or at least I think it does."

Maxie coughed fiercely into his fist like he choked on some air like the nerd he is and Archie, being the supportive "boyfriend" he was, patted him on the back while laughing the old lady's accusations off. "Oh no, no ma'am. We're not married. We're just-"

"You might as well be! I know you two had a rough time over in Kanto, but you don't gotta worry 'bout that here in Sinnoh. Why, my husband can even make your marriage official when someone gets the nerve to pop the question." Archie really didn't like the way she was looking at him. It was like she was expecting him to get on his knee and pop the question right then and there. Both men exchanged nervous looks. Maxie's face was as red as his hair used to be and Archie was a bit jealous that he wasn't the one who caused it. 

"Ma'am, I don't think-" Maxie tried to calm her down, but was interrupted by her voice. 

"Here he comes now! It took you long enough, Teddy! Your tenants have been here longer than you have!" 

Both of their hearts skipped a beat. It was like they knew a serial killer was right behind them and there was nothing they could do to escape. Mr. Anderson's delusional ramblings were growing closer and closer, and that was like the music getting louder and more intense in a horror movie. Neither of them have had good experiences with their landlord simply because they're stuck in a one sided conversation for hours on end. Archie started fixing up the house both to give him something to do and so he wouldn't have to call Mr. Anderson in order to put in a repair request. When rent was due, they slipped it in his mailbox so he didn't have to come to the house. They did everything in their power to avoid the man, but now they were going to have to deal with him and his equally delusional wife. 

"It ain't my fault that everyone in Sinnoh wanted one of Mike's burgers. If ya want food you can get it yourself!"

"And you can start making your food yourself if you keep on talking to me like that, especially in front of customers!"

For once, Mr. Anderson wasn't concerned with talking about his latest conspiracy theories about how the government controls bird Pokemon and was more focused on arguing with his wife. Archie wrapped a hand around Maxie's waist and Maxie grabbed his arm, both of them pulling each other away from the stand. 

They were so close to escaping with mumbled goodbyes too, but they both bumped into something when stepping back. Quickly, they turned around, both apologizing to the young woman they nearly ran over.

"Sorry, sorry, that was my bad," she was quick to apologize. She looked over at the arguing couple, looking a little embarrassed at the sight. "While I'm on a roll here, sorry about them. I'm their daughter and I asked if they could help me out today and, well, I'm managing."

Her eyes looked over the lovely couple and went wide. Archie could practically see the lightbulb over her head. "You're Bernie and Xavier, right? You two were the ones that saved the town from Darkrai, right? I heard that story all the way in Hearthome! And then my parents haven't stopped raving about it."

Archie had to contain his eyeroll when he saw that grin creep onto Maxie's face. "Actually, I was the one who fought off Darkrai. Poor Bernie here was one of its first victims, but I have him back now. You know what they say. You'll do anything for the love of your life," he snickered and patted Archie's arm. Archie smiled along with him only because he was totally going to use this material against him when they were home. 

The lady looked to the ground and twisted her hair. "Hey, uh, I know that you're probably sick and tired of people asking you this, but would it be possible if...maybe...I could see your Camerupt? I've been working on a special poffin recipe and I think he would really like it."

Archie wished he had a pair of sunglasses to protect him from the way that Maxie's face lit up. If there was one thing he loved more than ruining Archie's day, it was flaunting off Camerupt to strangers. "Of course you can! He loves the attention, but he loves food even more." Maxie shoved the Growlithe plush into Archie's arms as he threw Camerupt out. Camerupt shook himself and looked over to Maxie to see what was going on. 

As much as they complained about the Andersons, Maxie was doing nothing but gushing over his prized Pokemon while the young lady built up courage to pet the beast. Soon after she did that, she felt comfortable enough to feed him. Based on his light grunt and him moving toward the bag, he seemed to like it. 

Archie was stuck in a position he didn't want to be in. The old Andersons were still fighting and the young Anderson was flirting with his pretend boyfriend.

Wait. 

Now, Archie may not be the most inept in terms of flirtation even though he seems like a player. He was too busy with leading Team Aqua to really bother with romance. However, he didn't really like the way that she was laughing at nearly everything that came out of Maxie's mouth. The way she found excuses to briefly touch his arm, his chest, and that fool had no idea what was going on. He did look a little confused, but otherwise rolled with it. 

Archie momentarily placed the Growlithe in Mightyena's mouth, hoping to Arceus that his orders of "don't destroy" were taken seriously, and walked over to Maxie. He pressed himself against the other's back and loosely wrapped his arms around Maxie's shoulders. The girl immediately took a step back and Maxie turned to glance over at Archie. 

"Can I help you?"

"I hate to break up this chit chat, but this place is gettin' even more crowded and I don't want to wait an hour in line for food."

Maxie rose a questioning brow. "But you just ate," he commented absentmindedly, because of course he did. He just had to make his life difficult. 

"Those kabobs were just snack food, X. I'm ready for the real thing. You need to eat too. You barely touched yours."

"I simply wasn't hungry at the time." However, it looked like he was starting to pick up what Archie was throwing down. He patted Archie's arms to tell him he wanted to be released and Archie complied, going back to pick up the still intact Growlithe. Maxie returned Camerupt to his ball and thanked the lady for the food. She even gave him the rest of the bag free of charge, as well as two squeaky toys for the Mightyenas. A Pachirisu for Archie's and a Buneary for Maxie's. They thanked her and Archie finally pulled Maxie away the moment he saw an opportunity to leave. 

Finally, when they were out of sight from the stand, Maxie pulled Archie down so they could talk. "What was that about? She was genuinely interested in Camerupt and you know how much he loves the attention."

Archie scoffed. "Camerupt? Dude, she was totally hitting on you."

"By being friendly?"

"Do friends gently caress each other's chests like they're in some kind of cheesy romance book?" Archie countered. "She was also laughing at everything you said even though you're the least funny man I know. She had the hots for you, dude. I gotta admit, it took some balls to flirt in front of your boyfriend like that." Maxie took Growlithe back and surprisingly didn't look mad at the accusation. Instead, there was a weird grin on his face. "What? You didn't like that, did ya? She looked like she was ten years younger than ya."

"Oh no. She was nice and that's the end of that story. What I'm more concerned about is someone being jealous," he teased. Now it was Archie's turn to get a little bit of a blush on his cheeks. 

"I'm not! Bernie was just doing what needed to be done," he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Whatever you say," he snickered lightly. 

Still, the awkwardness of the situation didn't put much of a damper on the rest of the day. The Mightyenas were happy with their new toys. If it hadn't been for the overall loud festival muffling the sounds of the constant squeaks, their owners would have gone absolutely insane. Most of the day was spend browsing stand after stand. Maxie had found a legitimate jeweler and bought a few items from her while Archie tried not to think about how being boiled alive would be better than looking at a bunch of overpriced rocks. Pirates were supposed to be way into jewels and gems, but Archie was more of a fan of the money he got from them. However, he got his revenge when they stumbled across a fisherman's stand. 

Talking about food earlier was just a ploy to get Maxie away from the young Anderson. However, now both of them were starting to get hungry. Plus, Maxie had been complaining about his contacts bothering his eyes. There was absolutely nothing he could do in a porta potty, but some of the buildings were open near the festival and he figured he could see about sneaking into one of their restrooms. With Maxie gone, Archie waited in line to one of the more popular food stands. He was fortunate to stand behind a few sailors from Sunyshore, a city on the other side of Sinnoh. He chatted up a storm with them. Honestly, he forgot how much he missed being able to talk to people in his own sailor's language. He didn't even attempt to do it with Maxie for obvious reasons. Even the majority of the members of Team Aqua had no idea what he was talking about half of the time. These guys knew what was up. 

Unfortunately, he couldn't leave with them and head back to Sunyshore when the day was over. After he received his food (for free since he was "Xavier's guy friend"), he bid his newfound sailor friends goodbye and scanned the crowd for Maxie's artificial brunet head. His red hair certainly did stand out from a crowd, but his new hair color blended in easily. They didn't have to worry about investigators finding them when Archie, a man who knew what he was looking for, couldn't even find him. It wasn't like he could pull out his PokeNav and call him either since his hands were full with their baskets of food, a burger with every topping for himself and cheese fries for Maxie. Definitely not something he wanted to drop. Both of the dogs were with Maxie though. He whistled and heard a bark in response near the center of the festival. 

The center was where the makeshift Pokemon battle field was located. Tables and benches were placed around the area, allowing the visitors to have dinner and a show. He found Maxie sitting at one of the tables, idly watching a battle between a Kirlia and a Buizel. The closer he got, the easier it was to see that something was off with Maxie. 

"Somethin' on your mind?" he asked and sat down on the other side of him, scooting his cheese fries over to the man. Maxie looked at him with squinted eyes. At first glance it looked like a glare, but there was no malice behind it. 

"There's always something on it, but if you're referring to my expression then it has nothing to do with the thoughts floating around in my mind. Instead, it has everything to do with the fact that I can't see anything. I took my contacts out and planned on exchanging them for a backup set, but some imbecile bumped into me on his way out of the restroom and both sets are lost," he explained and started to pick around with his food.

"How'd ya manage to get here then?" It was no secret that Maxie was as blind as a Zubat. It was actually kind of fun watching the man stumble around to find his thick pair of glasses during mornings he didn't plan on going out. 

"I have two seeing eye Mightyenas. I'm not completely blind, after all. I can manage to follow the black blurs I see just fine."

As Maxie spoke, Archie chowed the fuck down into his food. It was so good, but the fact that it was free made it all the more better. He wasn't much of a conversationalist with his mouth full of food, but Maxie didn't seem to mind. If anything, he seemed pretty invested in his food as well. "Was the cook a local?" he asked and Archie nodded while he was trying to swallow. 

"Yep. Got the food for free. I gotta say, you're pretty damn useful."

"You better believe it," Maxie said, wagging a fry in Archie's direction before taking a bite out of it. "While we are admitting things, I must say that I, for once in my life, was wrong."

Archie choked on his food. That statement was so sudden and so out of character for Maxie that it hit Archie like a Poliwrath's punch right to the jaw. He coughed roughly into a napkin and Maxie shot up, ready to reach out and pat Archie on the back like that was going to do something. "Are you alright?"

Archie nodded, slowly calming down. "I am, but I don't think you are," he stated, getting the final coughs out of his system. Maxie flicked a burnt fry at him. It bounced off of Archie's cheek and one of the Mightyenas was quick to eat it up once it hit the ground. 

"I understand it's an out of the blue statement, but I feel like it must be said." The crowd cheered when the Kirlia was deemed the winner. Waiting for the loud noise to pass gave Maxie enough time to think about what he was going to say next. "As you know, when we first moved here I was...skeptical. I firmly believed that this was a bad move on both of our parts. However, now that we're finally settled in with our new lives I'm finding it, well, not so much enjoyable, but positively tolerable. We have a good thing going here."

It was really hard to think of what to say next. Maxie just admitted that he was wrong? It was hard for Archie to wrap his head around. If it had not been for the Darkrai fiasco, Maxie wouldn't be the town's hero and his opinion of the place would probably be drastically different. However, like hell he was just going to brush it off. Those words meant something to the both of them. After a moment, Archie found himself smiling. 

"See? I ain't gonna say I told ya so, but I totally told ya so," he snickered. "But in all seriousness, I will admit I had some doubts too, but I'm really glad things have smoothed out. This place ain't half bad after all."

"Agreed. It's just a little too much on the cold side, but it's also probably one of the warmest places in Sinnoh this time of year."

The food was soon gone and the sun was beginning to set. The paper lanterns that lined the festival were turned on. Already they looked magnificent, but there was no doubt that they would look even more spectacular once the sun was down and the moon had risen. They threw their trash away as they continued to trek through the crowd. Maxie insisted that he could see well enough to not need to rely on Archie. However, when a group of kids came running their direction, all swinging foam swords they bought from one of the venders, Archie had to pull Maxie out of the way to prevent him from getting toppled over. Maxie huffed a little bit, but didn't put up much of a fight as Archie placed a protective arm around his shoulders. It was all part of the act.

"Y'know," Archie said. "I was talkin' to some guys and they said this festival was gonna end with a fireworks show near the front. You wanna start heading that way so we can get some decent enough spots?"

"Honestly, we would probably be able to see it from our house. However, I'm certainly not ready to leave just yet."

"Oh?" Archie mused with a playful grin. "Is someone having, oh what's the word...fun?"

Maxie rolled his eyes, but there was no denying that there was a nice smile on his face. "Today has been enjoyable, yes. It's a shame that this only lasts a day."

"I mean hey, the mayor had to keep a little bit of tradition in his skewed version of the festival."

"Then let us be sure to vote that fucker out next year," Maxie laughed lightly into the back of Growlithe's head. Archie's pretty sure that he's never heard him laugh like that. Maniacal, scary laughter, yes. Laughter that comes from being in a good mood? Never. It actually sounded...kinda nice. 

Archie shook his head from that thought. What was he thinking? He removed his hand from Maxie's shoulders and took one of Maxie's hands away from Growlithe and placed it into his own. He knew that Maxie complained about being cold all the time, but even he was surprised to feel just how cold his hand was.

"I know I call you cold blooded all the time, but c'mon dude. Don't make me think you're an actual lizard thing disguised as a person."

"It truly is not my fault that my body has trouble keeping heat. I knew I should have brought an extra jacket as well. I knew it was going to get cold when the night came, but I didn't think it was going to be this cold. I sincerely am not looking forward to the winter." Even though he was wearing a thick jacket and scarf, Maxie's shoulders were still tense and he stayed close to Archie, part to keep up the act and part to take in some of his warmth. 

A nagging thought ran through Archie's head. There was something he could do for Maxie, but the real question is whether or not he wanted to do it. Finally, he sighed and released Maxie's hand for a brief second as he tugged off his coat. The chilly autumn air nipped at his skin now that a thick layer of his protection was removed, but he was a tough guy. A little bit of cold wouldn't turn him into a complete pansy. He placed the much too large jacket over Maxie's shoulders, causing the man to look up at him. "What's this for?"

"To keep ya warm, duh. You need it way more than I do." They both exchanged looks. Normally their silent exchanges were bitter and challenging, but this one had a different taste to it. It was warm. Warm and comforting. Without protest, Maxie tugged the jacket tighter around his person, taking in all of its warmth.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Already, people were beginning to set up their spots for the firework show. Some people had brought blankets to lay on while others were scavenging for the open seats and benches. The Mightyenas quickly ran in front of their owners, jumping onto one of the benches to claim it for the two before anyone else could grab it. Both of them recieved affectionate pets for their smart thinking. They hopped down as their owners took a seat. Both of them looked tired. Maxie's Mightyena nibbled on his new squeaky toy while Archie's looked like he was ready to go to sleep.

Once again, Archie wrapped his arm around Maxie's shoulders and surprisingly enough, Maxie rested his head against Archie's shoulder. This was comfortable. Way more comfortable and pleasant than Archie would have ever thought. "Comfy?"

"More than I would like to admit."

Archie snickered at the response. Today had gone way better than he would have ever thought. He kind of didn't want the day to end. There were so many stalls that they didn't get to look through, so many games they didn't get to play. They needed more nights like this. A night where they could just go out and pretend that they were two men who didn't have a care in the world. Maxie seemed to enjoy himself as well, so perhaps if Archie were to bring up the idea one day, maybe he wouldn't say no. 

He let out a satisfied sigh. When they went home they would probably pick up their rivalry again. Things would go back to how they were. For now, that didn't concern him. All he was worried about was living this moment up to the fullest. 

People were beginning to migrate into the area more heavily now. People and Pokemon alike were getting settled down, ready for the show to begin. Kids ran around, groups of teens laughed, couples cuddled close together, the show was about to begin.

"Excuse me," a soft voice said behind them. The men looked at each other before straightening up to glance over their shoulders. Between the darkness and the fact his vision was horrible in general, Maxie had no idea who was behind them. Archie didn't have a clue either. She was a psychic trainer with an Espurr on her shoulder and a Kirlia at her side. Actually wait. He has seen her before. She was battling a Buizel when they were eating earlier. 

"Need something, girlie?" Archie asked, now facing her more. Maybe she wanted to battle against the guy who was strong enough to take down Darkrai? 

"Yes...I recently had a vision concerning the two of you. I believe...you need to hear it."

Maxie scoffed, now turned around to face her better as well. "I appreciate your concern, but I can do without whatever your selling."

It was hard to read her face in this light, but her expression didn't seem to falter. "I have seen that in the near future..." she stated anyway, "you will have some serious explaining to do...Maxie Matsubusa."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! I've been wanting to write this chapter for so long and now it's finally a reality! I hope you all enjoy. As always, you can leave any questions/comments/concerns in either the comments below or hit me up at authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: Two leaders, two admins, and a whole lot of grunts.


	12. Brains and Brawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie and Maxie are met with familiar faces and new faces.

Both of their hearts skipped a beat. Maxie held his breath. Such an accusation had came so unexpectedly that he had absolutely no idea how to react. Well, he did know how to react. He has practiced an investigation scenario over and over in his head ever since the fall of Team Magma. He would deny everything and demand a lawyer, given it was a scenario where he could have a lawyer. This...this was different. The person standing before him wasn't a cop. It was a psychic trainer. Or, at least he was pretty sure she was a psychic trainer. Of all the days he had to be blind, it had to be today, now didn't it?

"I think that you need to polish your crystal ball a little better next time," he said dismissively once he finally figured out the words to say. 

"Yeah. You got the wrong dude, girlie. Last I checked, that dude was over in the Hoenn region," Archie added, much to Maxie's relief. However, this might be dangerous for the both of them. If she knew that he was Maxie, then she very well could figure out that the man sitting beside him was Archie. Then again, why wasn't he called out?

The girl tilted her head a little to the side like a confused Poochyena. She tugged on the end of her shirt nervously. Maxie sincerely wished that he could see the look on her face in the hopes of figuring out just what the fuck was her deal. 

"I...I suppose...that I now know the reason why you wanted to leave with...him..." Her voice was soft, but there was clear venom with the last word. The wheels in Maxie's head were frantically turning, but finally, the answer became clear. The soft, monotone voice, the strange pauses between words...

"Courtney?" he quietly gasped. The girl gave no indication if he was right or wrong. Her cold eyes stared over him. His Mightyena perked up at the name. He wandered behind the bench, his tail wagging and his barks excited as he tried to jump up on Courtney. Courtney took a step back and Maxie quickly got up from the bench to grab Mightyena and hold him back. He held his muzzle shut and Mightyena quickly got the message. 

"Courtney..." Maxie honestly had no idea what to do. He never thought that he would see his admins again, especially since he gave them direct orders not to try and contact him. He wanted to scold her, but at the same time, he desperately wanted to hug her. She was alive and still roaming free. That was the best case scenario in Maxie's eyes. However, she didn't seem too thrilled to see him. Maxie couldn't see her face, but based on how she wasn't trying to embrace him first told him that she was not happy in the slightest. "We need to go somewhere else to talk. I'm renting a house here in Floaroma, so that would be the most optimal place to talk."

He could hear her voice faintly, but it was impossible to make out what she said since the crowd awe'd as the first firework burst in the sky. A flash of blue lit up the sky and quickly sizzled out. Archie stood up and Courtney took another step back. Maxie was almost afraid that she was going to run away like a frightened wild Pokemon, but he also knew how she felt about running. She was less of a fan of it than he was. 

"Let us leave," he ordered. "My house isn't too far from here. I will not be too much of a walk."

"But sir..." Courtney was about to say something else, but a scream followed by the screeches of a horde of Zubats and Golbats caught not only the trio, but also everyone else watching the firework show off guard. 

Of course, he had to be blind today of all days. Also momentarily deaf. He rubbed his ears, trying to get the ringing to subside.

"What's going on?" he asked once most of his hearing had returned to him. Both of the Mightyenas sprung up, teeth bared and low growls escaping their throats as they looked back toward the stands. 

"I dunno yet. Definitely trouble," Archie grunted. The lights from the paper lanterns flicked off and fireworks were still booming in the sky. People were in a state of panic. They quickly gathered their things and were doing everything they could in order to get away. The people in the trio's area were right at the entrance, so escaping proved to be easy for them. It was the people still in the main part of the festival, not so much. 

The men exchanged fierce glances. The option to run away was there, but like hell they were going to do something like that. They were finished with running away. Plus, it's been a while since they've had a good battle. 

"Mightyena, c'mon boy!" Archie called and ran against the running river of people trying to get away from the mess, Mightyena following by his side.

Maxie glanced over toward Courtney. Well, the very blurry outline he was pretty sure was Courtney. "I may no longer be your superior, but I do require your assistance once more. Our conversation can wait until later. For now, trouble is brewing and I can't see a damn thing without my glasses. Would you care to be my eyes?"

Courtney was quiet for a moment. Maxie knew she was mad at him, but he sincerely hoped that she would team up with him once more. 

Without warning, he felt a small hand wrap around his wrist and Courtney tugging him along. "This way...there are a lot of strange people here..." A Zubat flew towards them, but all it took was a quiet command and Kirlia shot it out of the air with a Psybeam. "Lots of aerial attacks...Crobat and Weezing would be best for them..."

Maxie nodded, trusting Courtney's word. He tossed the Pokemon out, ordering them to take care of any enemy Pokemon that got too close to them. Crobat immediately followed orders by attacking a fast approaching Golbat. 

"Can you see where the trainers are?" he asked urgently. Without his sight he had to rely on his hearing more than anything else. People were screaming and running away, making his life way harder than he would have liked. He did manage to hear Archie's booming voice just a few yards away from them, shouting orders for his Pokemon to "take those motherfuckers down!" 

"Yes sir...they are right up ahead. However...they are in uniform...they must be part of some kind of...organization."

Organization? Could they be members of this Team Galactic he's kept on hearing about? Possibly. 

Courtney slowed her pace until they came to a stop, taking cover beside one of the still standing stalls. Their Pokemon were doing an amazing job at keeping the Zubats and Golbats away from them. They only needed minimal instruction from their trainers. Even then, it was Courtney calling most of the shots since she could see the situation going on. Archie was quick to join Maxie's side. Courtney's grip on Maxie's wrist grew a little tighter.

Ahead of them was a group of almost identical looking people clad in mint green bowl cuts and silver and black uniforms. The innocent festive goers were mainly gone by now. A few of them were still crawling around, trying to find the best exit as the invaders turned the stands inside out. 

"There's a large group right ahead of us, correct?" Maxie asked. His eyes were very deceiving right now, so the blurry blob he saw in front of him could be anything. 

"Right. There's a lot of them. They got a bunch of weak Pokemon on them. It would be easy to take 'em out if there weren't so many," Archie said. "Mightyena can only take on a few at a time. Same could be said for Muk and Crobat." And unfortunately, Sharpedo has to sit this one out because not only do fish dislike the cold, but they also dislike being cold and out of water.

"Pokemon other than the Zubats and Golbats we've been seeing?" Maxie inquired, the wheels in his head turning at breakneck speeds. 

"Yep. I think we've taken care of a lot of the annoying air bound bastards."

"Eighty-two percent, to be exact," Courtney added. "The remaining eighteen percent are far away and not worthy to be deemed as an immediate threat."

"In that case, I believe I have a solution." Maxie wiggled his hand out of Courtney's grip and calmly stepped out of the protection of the stall. He was going into this battle blind, literally, but the great Maxie never faltered. He threw out Camerupt's Pokeball. The Pokemon was quick to assess the situation. He rose up on his hind legs, quickly slamming his front legs back down. Steam blew out of his nostrils and the miniature volcano on his back. 

"Camerupt, darling, get rid of these pests. Earthquake." 

Camerupt let out a loud roar as he rose up again. This time, when he came down the earth shook fiercely. Maxie was completely unfazed by it. The spacemen in front of him, however, were not. Most were knocked off of their feet while others only remained standing because of they were smart enough to grab onto something. Their Pokemon, however, were injured from the attack, some more severely than others. Even Archie and Courtney stumbled from the attack. Courtney lost her balance and Archie was quick to catch her, but she was just as quick to push him away from her with more force than Archie would have ever thought could be stored in her petite body. 

The attack made the group standing before him somewhat confused. Questions were being shouted left and right. Some were directed toward him, others to the other members of the unit. Maxie cleared his throat and did everything in his power not to place his hands behind his back. He was already pushing his luck with having his team (minus Gligar) out of their balls. He didn't need that specific mannerism tying Xavier in with Maxie. "For your own sake, I suggest that it would be best if each and every one of you get out of this town right now," he ordered, his eyes sharp and his voice unwavering. 

"In your dreams, old man!" One of them shouted back. 

"You're not going to get in the way of Team Galactic's goals!" Another one shouted. 

"Oh yes we fucking are!" Archie's booming voice shot back. Maxie was not paying any attention to him, so the fact that he seemingly appeared beside him took his by surprise. Only slightly. It wasn't enough to make him flinch. He quickly took a glance over his shoulder in the hopes that he could see Courtney's blurry outline poking her head out from behind the stall. He didn't, so either she was there and he simply didn't see her or a plan was running through her mind. "Get out of our town before I sic Mightyena on every one of ya bastards!" 

"That's so cute!" A high pitched voice said. All of the grunts' heads turned toward the sound and quickly parted from the center, allowing the owner of the voice to have plenty of room to walk. Her uniform was much different from everyone else's. Dark sleeves and tights contrasted with her white-ish dress. The bottom of it stuck out like a hula hoop was sewn into it. Her red hair could rival Maxie's natural color. If this weren't a serious moment, Archie probably would have joked around about not knowing Maxie was someone's baby daddy. She looked young enough to be his kid. Well, Maxie looked old enough to be someone's dad. 

"Not one, but two people think they have what it takes to take on Team Galactic and actually win!" she giggled. Casually, she threw a Pokeball out and a fat, mean looking Purugly popped out. The Mightyenas immediately started barking up a storm at the sight of such a creature and in return, the Purugly hiss. Her curly tail straightened out as much as it could and her fur stood straight up. 

"Listen here lassie and listen good. You ain't gonna be doin' any winning while we're around. It's best for ya to just run back to whatever spaceship you and your goons came out of!" Archie barked. 

"Nice insult," Maxie mumbled kind of sincerely.

"It really wasn't," Archie mumbled back. 

"Purugly, take care of them! Slash!" the lady ordered. The Pokemon let out a fierce hiss and jolted toward Maxie's Camerupt. She was going to have to do better than that if she wanted to take down Maxie's mighty Camerupt. 

Right as Maxie opened his mouth to make a command, a deep, loud voice cut him off. 

"Hydro pump!"

A sudden blast of water shot out from the side with perfect timing. It hit the charging Purugly and slammed her into one of the still standing stalls. Well, it was. 

Pieces of the destroyed stalls rose up, radiating with a soft violet glow that was seen clearly in the night. Well, it anyone other than the blind Maxie. Emerging from the side was Courtney. Her Kirlia and Espurr both had glowing eyes, so it was clear she was the cause of the floating poles and boards. Following close beside her was a large black belt trainer and a Poliwrath. Both trainer and Pokemon took a firm stance and pounded a fist into an open hand. 

"I think the man made it pretty clear. Get the hell out of this place or we'll run ya out ourselves!" the man shouted. That voice...

It had to be Matt! Maxie was as blind as a Zubat but even he could see the shining smile on Archie's face. 

"Ugh! This is so annoying!" the red head said. She was ready to throw out a second Pokeball, but Courtney issued a quiet command and all of the debris from the destroyed stalls came crashing down onto the Galactic unit. A moment later, they were crawling out of the pile, some hurt, all clearly shaken. The red head grit her teeth as she emerged from the pile with a large scrape on her arm. She returned her Purugly and glanced behind her, noticing that some of the grunts were already retreating before an official command was placed, something that Aqua and Magma grunts never did. 

"Don't consider this a win in the slightest!" she shouted and stomped her foot on the ground like an angry child on the playground. "We got what we wanted and there's nothing you can do about it!" 

Archie's Mightyena growled a little louder before sprinting toward the leader of the unit. She yelped, hastily climbing over the rumble before running away with the rest of the grunts. Like hell they deserved a dignified retreat.

"Should we go after them?" Courtney's quiet voice asked, soft emotionless eyes looking up at her former leader. Maxie shook his head. 

"It would be in our best interest to keep contact with them as minimal as possible. We were just some trainers in the right place at the right time," he explained to her and only her. Archie and Matt were more than welcomed to listen in on him, but they were too busy having their own happy little reunion. The two burly men shouted "Bro!" at practically the same time and then charged at each other, colliding with a much needed bro hug.

Maxie looked over at Courtney. He never expected to see her again, and even if he did then he would have thought their reunion would have been a little happier. Courtney's face was as emotionless as ever, but Maxie knew better than to believe emotions weren't running through her body. She was upset based on the fact that she hadn't been the one to initiate a hug. He definitely had some explaining to do to her. 

"Courtney..."

"Emily," she corrected. "Psychic Trainer Emily, or...unfortunately, the brains to the brain and brawn duo."

"Right." Maxie nodded. "Would you and your friend care to spend the night with us? My house isn't that far away. I also have a feeling we won't be missed." Looking around the festival grounds, the area was completely cleared out. There was plenty of commotion going on in different sections of the festival. People were beginning to trickle in to see what had happened, but Maxie didn't really want to stick around and deal with those curious souls. 

"I would...appreciate that," she answered. "I suppose...you can gather the other two?"

"Certainly." Maxie called out for the two, interrupting the bro-union and waved to the two to motion they were going home before the crowd could surround them. He returned all of his Pokemon and stepped off with Courtney. The former Aqua boys followed a few feet behind them. 

///

"I can't believe it, dude!" Matt's booming voice said. Maxie knew their house was a bit on the smaller side of things, but that was absolutely ridiculous that he could perfectly hear the man in the kitchen while he was in the bathroom. "I never thought that I'd run into ya in Sinnoh of all places!"

With a sigh, Maxie stepped out of the temporary solace of the bathroom. He just needed a place where he could sit down and think for a moment without feeling Courtney's judging eyes on him. That, and he needed to put in a new pair of contacts since he didn't have the patience to look around and figure out what Archie did to his spare pair of glasses. This wasn't how he wanted his night to end. This wasn't how a night like this was suppose to end. Never in his life would he have expected to enjoy Archie's company, but today had been filled with the most fun he's had in quite a while. He wanted it to end on a good note like it did in cheesy movies he watched when Archie wasn't around. Not like this. 

He was more than happy to see Courtney, but the feeling didn't seem like it was mutual. She must have been watching him and Archie for who knows how long. Maxie felt beyond embarrassed. Here he was, former leader of Team Magma, getting a little too intimate with his bitter nemesis. He didn't blame Courtney for being mad at him. Courtney sat alone in the living room while Archie and Matt caught up in the kitchen. Her back was as straight as a ramp and she nervously tugged on the bottom of her loose blouse. When Maxie came into the room, he noticed her eyes drift up to look at him before snapping back down to look at the coffee table. She has never liked eye contact. Often times she would just look past his shoulder or above his head while he spoke, but this time she was directly avoiding him. 

"Courtney..." he started softly. He sat down on the couch beside her, careful to leave some awkward room between the two of them. Courtney's fists tightened around the end of her shirt. "Courtney, I know that this is as cliche as cliche can be, but what you saw today was not what it looked like. You know that Archie and I had an agreement to keep each other in check. Showing...affection towards the man has helped solidify our alibi. No one in town has any suspicions of us."

They sat there in silence after his explanation. He didn't feel like it was a good one. He wanted to tell Courtney the whole story. He wanted to tell her that this wasn't initially his idea. He wanted to tell her that they were safe because of his "sacrifice." He also wanted to ask her so many things, but he needed to get her to cooperate with him. 

The silence was unbearable. Maxie was tempted to speak again and potentially throw himself further down this hole. However, Courtney's quiet, hesitant voice finally spoke up. "I know...You were very...convincing with your role." He looked down and noticed her small hands were shaking and her knuckles were turning white from the grip she had on her shirt. "I, along with the other admins...we mimicked your plan. Tabitha is with Shelly...I am stuck with Matt. He's so loud and annoying...but we have make a decent Brains and Brawn duo. I...must have miscalculated your strength. You seem to be dealing with Archie quite well...Much better than I have been with Matt."

Seeing her so distressed, Maxie scooted a little closer to her and placed a hand on top of one of hers. He was afraid that he was going to be met with resistance, but Courtney fortunately didn't move away. She didn't scoot closer to him either. "Living with Archie has been interesting, to say the least. He's loud and annoying like his not so little friend, but we've fortunately found ways to live without wanting to kill one another."

"Like showing him affection?" she mumbled. Her normally monotone voice had a few drops of venom in it.

The heat rose on Maxie's cheeks. "That's for the public to see to help with our alibi. Nothing more, nothing less," he was quick to reply. "For the most part we simply keep to ourselves. I don't bother him, he doesn't bother me. It's a good balance."

Courtney made no indication of whether or not she agreed with him. He looked down at his shoes and then turned his attention back to the side of Courtney's head. There has been a crushing weight on his shoulders since he disbanded Team Magma, but now that he was face to face with one of his most trusted and loyal members to the team, that weight increased tenfold. He gently rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "Courtney...I am truly sorry for putting you through all of this." He saw a curious eye glance over at him. "I cannot even begin to understand the kind of hell that you have been through during these last few months. You didn't need to go through any of that. You didn't even need to go through the hell I put you through back when you were my admin. I became greedy. Greedy and power hungry. I constantly pushed you past your breaking point in order to achieve my selfish desires. I know that I don't deserve your forgiveness. I ruined your life, after all. But...I do want you to know that not a day goes by when I don't regret the choices I have made."

Courtney turned her head fully away from him now. Maxie's heart stopped. He wasn't expecting her to forgive him, but he also wasn't expecting her to completely ignore him. She wiggled her hand out of his and brought it up to her face to hide it. She was sniffling. When Courtney started to sniffle, there was only one thing that was going to follow it. Maxie placed a hand on her shoulder, but before he could try to comfort her further she turned around and pressed herself into his torso. Her face was buried in his chest and her hands to cover up the sights and sounds of her bawling her little heart out. "I...I-I've missed you."

"Oh Courtney," Maxie sighed and wrapped his arms around her, gently rubbing her back. She was always such the crier, but for once he was going to be a somewhat okay friend and give her the comfort she needed. "I've missed you too."

Archie poked his head in to see what was going on but Maxie waved him off, signalling for him to go back in the kitchen while he handed the admin in his arms. Giving a nod of confirmation, Archie did just that. He scratched the back of his head as he rejoined Matt by the island counter. "They're either havin' a really good reunion or a really bad one," he muttered. Matt shrugged.

"Beats me, bro. I've been livin' with the Magma chick since like a week after you two took off and I haven't been able to figure her out. It's like she just has two emotions; crying and not crying. I dunno how Red over there did it," Matt said. By the time he had entered their humble home, he had already raided their fridge and was currently working on finishing up some leftover lasagna Archie made the other night and planned on eating. Eventually. "I dunno how you're doin' it either."

"Doin' what?" Archie inquired and propped his elbows up on the island. 

"Everything, dude! You got rid of everything! Your scar and your beard were like your thing. I didn't even believe Courtney when she pointed ya out in a crowd. An' you're also stuck with Douchebag McGee himself. Like, you've always been the strongest dude I know, dude, but now you're just flaunting off how tough you are." Matt's grin could brighten a cave and he punched Archie's arm both forcefully and affectionately. Archie had to do everything in his power not to let out a grunt of pain because good Arceus that hurt. 

"Eh, it ain't nothing I can't handle, bro. I gotta say I do miss ol' beardy though," Archie laughed and stroked his stubbly chin. 

"You two put way more effort into disguises than we did. I didn't wanna give up my beard and Courtney didn't wanna change her hair, but after a lil' bit of thinkin' we figured we made the perfect Brain and Brawn duo. I have Poliwrath and she caught a few psychic types and no one has said a damn thing to us. I even have a sweet gig down in Pastoria City."

That idea was pretty genius in Archie's eyes. Courtney pulled the wool over their eyes earlier. Matt also had a pretty solid disguise going on. His muscles fit tightly against his white shirt. He was surprised he hasn't flexed them off yet like he did with quite literally every shirt he ever wore. 

"What kind of gig are we talkin' about here?"

"Well, I'm one of the trainers at the gym, bro! Crasher Wake's so awesome dude, you wouldn't even believe it. He likes wrestling and water types, so when I applied he practically hired me right then and there." 

"Really? Dude, that's awesome!" At least someone was able to get a job. In all seriousness though, he was really happy for Matt. Outside of having Courtney tag along with him, he looked happy. Archie was glad to see that he was able to move on like this. However, the low cut on his shirt revealed a white triangle on his torso. Without a doubt in his mind, Archie knew that triangle was just the tip of the larger Aqua insignia Matt had tattooed to his torso during an unsupervised drinking night in the Aqua base. His smile faltered a little bit and Matt was quick to notice. 

"I mean...yeah. I think it is. What's wrong, dude? Do ya think I should'a done something else?"

Archie blinked in surprise and looked back up at Matt. "No, no! What you're doing's awesome. It's just...you aren't doin' a mighty fine job of hidin' that," he said, pointing to the tattoo.

Now it was Matt's turn to have his smile falter. "Why would I wanna hide it? Team Aqua's been my life, bro. And hey, when you get back on your feet I won't even have to worry 'bout what people think about Team Aqua."

Archie stood up a little straighter, a curious expression on his face. "Matt," he paused, "what do you mean 'when I get back on my feet'?" 

"Ah, there's no need to play dumb with me dude," he said with his mouth half full of leftovers. "I know this is just a temporary thing. Once you get rid of Max, you can bring back Team Aqua and we can try it again. This time we know what we're dealing with, so we'll be able to handle it loads better, bro."

The expression on Matt's face was similar to childlike glee, but Archie had to do everything in his power to keep his from turning into one of sheer horror. 

"Matt," he said sternly. "When I disbanded Team Aqua, my word was permanent." Matt waved him off. 

"Y'know, I don't think they can hear us in there," said the man who's normal booming voice was currently being muffled by the food in his mouth. "It's safe to talk about it, dude. We know what Primal Kyorge's capable of now! All we gotta do is-"

"Matthias! What part of my word is permanent can't ya get through the thick skull of yours?" Archie snapped, forcing Matt to take a step away from the man in surprise. What was he thinking?! There was no way that Team Aqua could be resurrected. Not after everything that he's done. He almost destroyed the world for Arceus' sake! He could feel his heart racing as he saw the brilliant light coursing through Primal Kyorge's veins. Wind and rain pelted his body to the point it was hard to stay on his own two feet. Grunts were screaming in confusion and terror, begging their boss for answers and instructions on what to do next and how to stay alive. He shut his eyes tightly and shook his head, almost as if that was going to shake the memory from his mind. He's relived that day over and over again, each time ending slightly differently. Kyogre destroying Sootopolis, Kyorge devouring a ship he was on. Kyorge summoning a tidal wave to drown him out. The list was endless. It had to have been. Archie lost count of how many times he died, only to be brought back to live the same event over again until he met Maxie's face looking down at him in the comfort of their own home. 

"There's no way in hell that I'm going to force anyone to go through that again. We fucked up, Matt. We fucked up and it's time to move on." Archie didn't notice how heavy he was breathing or how quickly his heart was racing. He clutched his chest. Matt quickly put the leftover food on the counter and raced to Archie's side.

"Dude! Dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude. Just-just take it easy man." Archie felt a large, meaty arm wrap around his shoulders. It if wasn't for Matt holding him up he probably would have slid down to the floor by now. He closed his eyes again and forced himself to calm down. He was safe. Kyogre was sleeping again and they were thousands of miles away from the Hoenn region. He was safe. 

"I'm fine. I'm fine," he said and wiggled out of Matt's grip. "It's just...Team Aqua's dead to me. There ain't no need to try and revive it."

The air in the room was thick. He has having such a good time with Matt but he just had to go and ruin it, huh? 

"So..." For the first time since Archie knew the man, Matt's voice was quiet. Hesitant even. "Does that mean I'm dead to you too? Is that why we haven't stayed in touch? Dude, you're like, my best bro. Do you know how hard it's been without ya? But...I guess I know why ya haven't talked to me or Shelly. We failed ya, dude."

Archie ran a hand through his hair, pulling on some of his thick, graying locks just to relieve some of the tension building up in his body. "Matt, you know better than to talk like that. Not a day went by when I wanted to check in on you two, but if something were to happen to me, I didn't want anything being traced back to you. You're still the brother from another mother I could'a asked for, bro. I just don't want ya to get hurt because of me again."

Matt was silent for a while and that silence was slowly killing Archie. "Well..." he started and finally locked eyes with his former boss. "Archie and Matt can't talk anymore, buuuuuut I think that your fake identity and my fake identity can start a beautiful bro-ship. I mean, people bond over all sorts of things. We both took down those Team Galactic freaks, started talkin', and boom! Insta-bros." As Matt talked, the smile on his face grew. That was the Matt Archie liked to see. Even Archie couldn't stop a stupid grin from spreading on his face. 

"I gotta say, I like the sound of that." Archie stuck out his hand, his eyes playfully challenging Matt. "Bernie Cortez."

Matt laughed and shook Archie's hand before pulling him in for another bro hug. This one was much tighter than all of the other ones, but Archie was couldn't complain about his ribs being crushed when he had his bro back. "Adrian Ohashi. But dude. Bernie? Really?"

"Shut up," Archie laughed. 

Their happy reunion was cut off when they heard Maxie clear his throat. No wonder he wasn't noticed. Anyone how stood behind Matt was bound to be blocked from sight. Courtney stood behind Maxie, but she was at least still visible. "I don't want to ruin whatever little moment your two are having, but I need the paper towels and you're blocking the only way."

"Yeah, well, you can wait," Matt grumbled.

"Excuse me? I didn't quite hear that." Maxie definitely heard that. He just wanted to start some shit. Before things could escalate with Matt breaking him like a twig, Archie grabbed a roll of paper towels and tossed them to Maxie. "Thanks." He turned around to presumably go back to the living room, but jumped a mile when he saw Courtney. 

"I'm sorry...I won't be needing those any more. I believe I'm okay now," she sniffled, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes with her sleeve. 

"I thought you were in the living room, Courtney."

"I was. Then...I followed you to inform you that I was okay...but I couldn't find a good opportunity to do so."

"You gotta start speakin' up, Courts," Matt said. 

"I am...well aware of that." She looked at her feet and tugged on the bottom of her shirt again. Her body was so tense, but the tension loosened up a little bit when Maxie gave her a gentle pat on the back. The tension was quick to return when something slammed against the door leading to the backyard. 

"Dude, what was that?"

"Bucky." Archie and Maxie answered in unison. 

"Who's..."

Before Courtney could finish, Maxie cut her off. "A rabid Bidoof that has proven to be a worthwhile archenemy beginning from the very first day I moved in to this house." 

"Just leave him be tonight," Archie said, sparing Maxie from embarrassing himself in front of their admins. For such a dignified man, he was very ungraceful when it came to handling that Bidoof. In whatever game those two were playing, Bucky was winning by a landslide. "I mean, it's not every night that we get to team up with our admins and kick some serious ass. Everyone, in the living room. We're havin' a movie night."

He was met with confused looks, but no protests. After such a hectic day, all four of them just needed time to cool off. Both former bosses wanted nothing more than to end the day on a high note. Their admins deserved that at least. Come morning they were probably going to continue their fake lives in Pastoria, so they had to make the most of the night. 

Maxie and Courtney made claim to the couch while Archie and Matt chilled out on the floor. Tensions were still thick in the air, but as the night went on the hostility simmered out, especially after the second movie when Archie put on Forrest Gump and told everyone to take a shot every time he said "Jenny." There couldn't be any hostility if the Aqua boys were slap happy and the Magma kids were passed out before the end of the movie. 

The lights of police cars filled the clear night air. The sirens were only a distant sound. They weren't concerned that four of the six most wanted people in the Hoenn region were right under their noses. They had festival grounds and a threat of their own to investigate. 

///

It was three in the morning. Maxie hasn't seen that time on the clock in quite a while. Without the stress of Team Magma weighing him down, forcing him to work throughout the night and into the following day, Maxie has been able to sleep fairly easily. Tonight, he couldn't get comfortable and no amount of tossing and turning was going to change that. 

As much as he enjoyed seeing Courtney and hated to bid her farewell earlier in the day, their conversation ran through his head over and over again. She was desperate for him to bring back Team Magma. She wanted to see him change the world again. Honestly, Maxie wanted that as well. He was dead set on abandoning Archie when he least suspected it to have another shot of awakening Groudon, but that idea was becoming more and more unreasonable to him now. At the same time, he wasn't about to completely abandon the goal he's dedicated years of his life to. 

He stared up at the ceiling almost as though it was going to give him the answers he wanted. He wanted to bring back Team Magma, but Archie's words echoed in the back of his head. Teams Aqua and Magma were dead, and that was probably for the best. 

Maxie couldn't take the silence of the room anymore. He put on his spare glasses and a robe and quietly walked out of his room. Archie was probably asleep on the couch. Knowing that, every creak the floor made as he took a step forward was deafening. However, when he peered into the living room he didn't see Archie. Instead, he caught a glimpse of the kitchen light on and heard the sound of a man's voice coming in through some mild static. Curious, Maxie poked his head in the kitchen, finding Archie sitting on the counter, wearing only a pair of pajama pants. In his lap was a bowl of fruit salad that had way more contents in it when Maxie fixed it up earlier today. Archie's face mimicked one of a Stantler in headlines when he saw Maxie's head poke in, but he soon calmed himself. 

"Can't sleep, huh?" Archie said after he swallowed the food in his mouth. 

"You would be correct. I suppose the same goes for you?" Maxie stepped into the kitchen now, finding a place next to Archie to stand. 

"What're ya talkin' about? I've never had much luck with sleep." He held out the bowl and Maxie took a piece without hesitation. 

"I never would have pictured you as an insomniac."

"That's a harsh word. I always just labeled myself as not the greatest sleeper in the world." Archie shrugged and stabbed his fork in the fruit salad again. 

"Whatever floats your boat."

Although the kitchen was quiet, it was much better than having to deal with the silence in the room. 

"-and that's all for Scatter Shots. Random observations about random things. Now it's time to move on to Ask Alexander, nightly advice to help brighten your morning. Today's message comes from Cathy-" the calming, smooth voice said through the PokeNav. As he read Cathy's message about how to deal with a man who loves her but not her kids, Archie reached out to turn the PokeNav off. Maxie reached out and gently grasped his hand, stopping him from touching the device. 

"I've been hearing that voice every now and then and I've been meaning to ask you what kind of program this is. There's no need to turn it off. I'm interested in it." Maxie released his hand and Archie scratched his chin. Maxie faintly grinned when he saw the hint of color spread on Archie's cheeks. He looked like he was embarrassed to explain what he was listening to. 

Finally, the man caved. "Just so you know, I ain't some kind of wimp that needs advice from a stranger on a radio show. That's just one of his segments."

"Don't play the pronoun game with me and leave me guessing as to who this man is." Maxie pushed himself off of the counter and walked over to the fridge, grabbing a can of whipped cream and taking it back over to the late night snack. 

"Well...he's one of my brothers. Al does a lot of stuff with Hoenn TV, but hosting a late night radio show is a favorite pass time of his. You're not allowed to make fun of me when I say this, but it's just nice to hear his voice sometimes."

Maxie smiled softly at his words. That was actually rather...sweet. It further proved his point that Archie was a big softie. "How about this? I cut you a deal. I won't make fun of you for being sappy if you don't make fun of me for something completely undignified that I'm about to do."

"You, undignified? What'cha plannin' on doing here?"

"A guilty pleasure." Maxie grabbed a fork from the drawer and loaded it up with the sliced up fruit. He stuck the fruit into his mouth and then directly released the whipped cream into his mouth. Archie laughed loudly at the sight and Maxie quickly covered his mouth to keep anything from escaping as laughter of his own threatened to leave his lips. 

"And you call me the barbarian!" Archie threw his head back as he laughed. His voice was loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood.

"Shu uuf." It was hard to talk with a mouth full of whipped cream, but he was pretty sure he got his point across. He swallowed and wiped the corner of mouth. "It's the best way to eat fruit salad. Not only is the whipped cream the best when its straight from the can, but it's also rather fun."

"Looks like the stick in your ass ain't as far up as I thought it was. You've been on a serious fun kick lately." Archie held out his hand for the can and being the generous soul Maxie was, he handed it over. 

"My definition of fun in much different than yours, mind you. Some fun things are just universal though." He covered his mouth to stifle a laugh as he watched Archie follow his lead. He went a little overboard with the whipped cream since a nice chunk of it ran down the corner of his mouth. Archie was quick to catch it with his hand and did the reasonable thing of returning the cream back to his mouth. "The Shaymin Festival, for example, was fun until the end of the night happened."

"And that's when things went from good to great," Archie laughed, still trying to get the whipped cream off of his face. He was a hopeless cause until Maxie handed him a paper towel. "We gotta see our admins again and kicked Galactic ass."

"You do have a point there." Courtney did scare him to death with her accusation though. "I wonder what Team Galactic was doing here anyway. I didn't see anything of much value in any of the stalls."

"Beats me. All I know is that I'm out of this whole "questionable organization" business. Until it starts directly affectin' me, I'll let the International Police and probably another eleven year old take care of these nerds."

"Right...Bernie and Xavier have no business bothering Team Galactic." But Maxie really wanted to bother Team Galactic to see what exactly they were up to. He was half tempted to put on some shoes and investigate the fair grounds himself, but it was cold and he had food here in the comfort of his home. 

"Now, for all you Noctowls out there who are still calling the night young, this one's for you," Archie's brother said through the radio. His smooth voice had been silenced, but a upbeat, jazzy song had taken its place. It certainly didn't ruin the atmosphere. 

Archie placed the bowl down on the counter and scooted to his feet. There was a mischievous look in his eye that Maxie couldn't quite place. "Since you've been on a fun kick as of late, how 'bout we keep it up?"

"Excuse me?" Archie was a strange man, but Maxie was sure that he had figured him out by now. Apparently he didn't. Archie held out his hand, but Maxie merely looked at it. Archie rolled his eyes and then grabbed the hand, easily pulling Maxie away from the counter. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Draggin' your ass onto the dance floor, duh."

"I never would have suspected that to be what you were doing," Maxie grumbled in response. He wasn't a dancer. The most he would do was tap his foot along to a catchy song, and even then the song had to be really good. But then again, fond memories of dancing with his mother came into his mind. During rough spells in his childhood, she would occasionally turn on some music and drag him to dance with her. He was always reluctant at first, but seeing that smile on her face always made him loosen up and have fun himself. 

Seeing Archie's smiling face made him see some parallels. His face was never going to be as sweet or nice to look at as his mother's though, but there wasn't a soul who could top that woman's smile. Archie's smile was high ranking though, as much as Maxie didn't want to admit it.

"C'mon, loosen up and have some fun." Archie was already swaying to the music. Maxie was reluctant, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do. 

"What the hell," he said with a grin, finally caving in. He was reluctant to go along with such a thing activity, but he knew better than to believe that the reluctance was going to stick around forever. 

There were many ways to spend sleepless nights. The two of them were painfully familiar with spending such nights in isolation. The seconds ticked by slowly, leading them to start their days much earlier than they would have liked. However, it was safe to say that dancing in the kitchen was by far a better way to pass the time. Neither of the men were graceful, waiting for the moment to let their inner dancer come out. Nope. They were awful and as coordinated as a stoned person in a spinning tunnel, but through that awfulness they were able to laugh at and with each other. Maxie had grown to hate Archie's laugh due to all of the malice that was placed behind it. His laughter now was sweet. Sweet and genuine.

Archie really wasn't so bad after all, he decided when the man had wrapped his masculine arms around Maxie's thinner frame to catch him before he fell thanks to his cursed fuzzy socks having absolutely no traction against the slippery tile floor. Maxie had found himself shamefully looking for excuses to touch his muscles during the Shaymin Festival, and now he found himself doing it again. Maxie's fingers grazed over his broad chest before Archie straightened him up and gave him some space. Once Maxie collected himself, he reached out and took Archie's hand, ready to go again as the song died out and a new one took its place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! Sorry for taking forever with this chapter. School started back up and I've been swamped. Fortunately though, I have found some free time now that I'm getting in the groove of things and here we are now. As always, feel free to send me any questions/comments/concerns in the comments or leave an ask at my blog authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: Halloween is the scariest time of year for babysitters.


	13. The Most Terrifying Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo gets stuck babysitting on Halloween. It proves to be scarier than they originally thought.

"Archie, can you come in here? Gligar's getting into the blood again and I'm just a little too busy at the moment to deal with it."

"You're just fixin' your hair. Ya can't be too busy," Archie groaned and left the comfort of the couch to assist Maxie in the bathroom. The door was cracked open, so Archie easily slid on in. The scene he walked in on was a scene to behold. Maxie's hair was slicked back with way too much gel for his liking, hence why he was doing his best to get a nice portion of it out without having to step into the shower. A cheap, black cape was slung over his shoulders, but instead of being tied together in the front by two tiny strings, Maxie was fancy enough to hold it together with a pendent. The cape was currently thrown back, allowing for his bloodied up white dress shirt to see the light of day. Over by the bathtub Gligar held a tube of fake blood in her pincer. A hole was poked in it, so the fake blood was all over her as well as dripping to the floor. 

"Why is she even in here?" Archie was quick to snag the tube out of her pincer and chucked it in the trash since they probably weren't going to have any use for it after tonight.

"I couldn't get her off of my back earlier, that is why. Sinnohian superstitions are quite different from what we're used to. Instead of turning into Zubats, Sinnohian superstition states that vampires can transform into Gliscors and Honchcrows. I suppose that she wanted to make sure that my costume was somewhat decent since I planned on allowing her to be part of it." Sticking out his tongue in disgust, he cleaned the gunk out of his comb and wiped it off using a hand towel.

"Mhm. I bet it's real cool to get the cool costume," Archie pouted as he pulled a handful of toilet paper off of the roll and tried to clean up the blood that dripped to the floor. With every wipe, the blood smeared further. 

"Oh hush. Couples coordinate themes for their Halloween costumes and there was no way I was going to be the Miranda to your Aquaman, even if it gave me an excuse to go back to my natural and perfect color."

"For the last time, it's Mera and ya didn't have to be her. Ya could'a been part of the Justice League or somethin'. Crobatman's always a fun choice. Or, with those scrawny ass legs, Fletchling-Kid," Archie snickered. Maxie tossed a balled up hand towel at him. It hit his shoulder and then fell gracelessly onto the floor. 

"Stop complaining. The children wanted to be supernatural creatures so it's only fitting for their chaperones to play the part as well," Maxie nagged. Archie through his head back but was able to keep the groan down. 

"Yeah. 'Bout that. How'd we get roped into that again? Oh wait. I know. The great Maxie can't say no to Ayako."

"She had every intention of taking Lucas and his friends trick-or-treating, but one of the nurses called in sick. Knowing how stupid people can be on Halloween, the hospital needs all the nurses they can get," Maxie was quick to counter. "It wasn't like we were doing anything either."

"Speak for yourself! I was gonna put on a hockey mask, grab a machete from Anderson's shed, and traumatize a couple of teens by chasin' 'em around for a while. But nooooo. Gotta babysit a couple of rugrats because someone has the hots for one of their moms."

Maxie pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long breath to calm himself. "For one, the last thing we need is for the cops to pick you up for being downright stupid. That's how we get caught. For two, Ayako is a lovely lady, but I'm not interested. I have a type and she doesn't fall under any of the categories I'm attracted to. I simply want to be a good person and help out every now and then. Plus, the babysitting money has proved to be helpful."

Archie didn't hear a thing he said after "I have a type." That sounded so fake. Archie has always imagined that the man didn't have a romantic attraction bone in his body to anyone other than himself. Every Valentine's Day he probably sent flowers and chocolates to himself and acted surprised to get them. To Maxie, from Maxie? He shouldn't have. 

Man, Archie finally realized that he needed to so something about his horrible sleep schedule if that's what he lies in bed and thinks about. 

That was a problem for later though. For now, Archie picked the towel up and tossed it back to Maxie. "Is your type skinny redhead nerds that have an obsession with ground type Pokemon?"

"That is for me to know and for you not to know. Stop worrying about me. Go get dressed. The children will be here shortly."

"Whaddya talkin' about? I am dressed." Archie stood up as Maxie turned around to get a better look at his "costume." Ripped jeans were accompanied with an equally ripped up black flannel shirt and a semi-ripped up white t-shirt underneath. He also sported two black, folded down triangular ears on his head. "You told me to be a were-Mightyena so I'm a were-Mightyena."

"That just looks like your everyday attire."

"Hey now. I don't think my feelings can recover from that one," he mocked.

Before the fight could continue, the doorbell rang. The trick-or-treaters weren't supposed to start hitting up houses for another ten minutes, so it must be the kids. With a groan, Maxie cursed under his breath and stepped away from the sink. "I suppose this will have to do. Gligar, come here." 

Gligar was quick to spring to her feet and fly to Maxie's back. She attached herself to his back like a sentient backpack easily. 

Archie followed him out, but let Maxie take care of greeting the kids at the door. Ayako had agreed to take Lucas and two of his friends out trick-or-treating, but since she could no longer do it they were stuck with three kids tonight. On the bright side, Archie liked Lucas. Hopefully his friends would be like him. 

"Hello Aya-gah!" he heard Maxie from the door. Surely none of the kids couldn't be that terrifying. However, after seeing one of the kids rush into the living room, Archie was quick to figure out that the kid must have bumped into him and caused him to shout like that. The theme tonight was supernatural creatures, and based on the tanned bandages that were wrapped around his body, it looked like the kid was a mummy. Mummies weren't technically supernatural, but Archie wasn't about to get all technical with a seven year old. That was Maxie's job. 

"Barry! Calm down or else I'll let you spend the night with me," Ayako warned. Maxie had stepped aside to let her and the other two kids in. Lucas had his face painted green and stitches painted across his forehead. Two screws stuck out of the sides of his neck and his jacket was haphazardly cut up. The girl beside him wore a flowy, dark purple dress and a hat that was similar to a Mismagius' head. Now that Archie was really looking at her, she must have been aiming on dressing up as a Mismagius. Once again, not a supernatural creature. He felt cheated. 

"Hey Bernie!" Lucas chimed and rushed over to Archie's side. He wrapped his arms around the man's torso, but they didn't stay there for long. Archie was quick to pick him up and squeezed him in a tight Bewear hug, causing the kid to squeal in laughter. 

Okay. So maybe Archie really liked Lucas. That didn't make him a big softie like Maxie insisted he was. 

"Ay scamp. Sorry 'bout squeezin' ya like that. Ya scared me and I had to do something to protect myself," Archie said and put Lucas down on his feet. Lucas was still laughing and looked up at the man with a big grin on his face. 

"Then why do you do that even when I'm not in costume?"

"It's a scary world, kid. I never know if you wanna hug or are tryin' to attack me, so I gotta be prepared for either," he joked and ruffled the kid's hair. 

While Maxie talked to Ayako, Archie took a look at the kids. "So we got Frankenstein, a Mismagius witch, and a mummy, huh? We got a serious monster mash going on here."

"He's not Frankenstein," the witch was quick to correct. "Frankenstein was the name of the guy. The monster never had a name."

Archie could only stare at her a little bit. He wasn't expecting something like that to come out of her mouth. Maxie, maybe, but not a seven year old. "Okay...well, my bad then. I'll leave Frankenstein to the doc then."

"Frankenstein wasn't a doctor either. He was just really insane and had a lot of time on his hands."

If the girl had red hair he would have sworn that she was Maxie's biological kid. Archie squatted down to get a better look at her. "Right...What's your name, girlie?" 

"Dawn."

"She's the smartest girl in class," Lucas was quick to add. "She was back when we went to the same school and she still is! She's probably smarter than all of the people in my new school."

"I probably am, yeah," she agreed with a giggle. 

There had to be some Matsubusa blood in her. Archie stood back up and saw Maxie bidding farewell to Ayako near the door. He also saw the mummy kid playing a game of tug-o-war with his Mightyena and losing. 

Ayako said her goodbyes to the kids and then was quick to leave. Two former leaders of eco-terrorist organizations were now that the mercy of three seven year olds. Archie honestly didn't know if they stood a chance. 

"Can we go now? I'm ready to get a bucketful of candy," the mummy kid, Barry, asked since he lost the game and needed something else to entertain himself. He was bouncing on his feet, swinging his bucket that looked like a Pumpkaboo from side to side. "But we have to hit up only the best houses. Any place that has Tootsie Rolls and those little things of floss are crossed off the list and we don't need to waste our time going there. We don't need to waste anymore time here! Let's go!" Barry sprinted to the door, but Maxie was quick to hold his arm out to stop him. 

"Not so fast there. We'll leave when everyone's ready to leave. Just relax for another five minutes or so. We will go here shortly."

Barry whined loudly and stomped his feet in protest. "That's not fair! All of the other kids are gonna get a head start on us!"

"We're going to have all night to trick-or-treat," Dawn reassured him calmly. "I'm also not ready to go." She looked up at Archie hesitantly, looking like she wanted to say something, but decided against it and leaned in close to Lucas to whisper something in his ear. 

"It's down the hall and to the right," he answered. She nodded and scampered off. 

"Girlie needed to use the John?" Archie asked. Lucas nodded. 

"Yeah. She couldn't think of a way to ask you without feeling rude," he explained without a care. "Can me and Barry play with the Mightyenas?"

"I ain't stoppin' ya."

"Sweet!" Lucas grabbed Barry's wrist and dragged him back over to the Pokemon. hoping that playing with them again was going to cheer his friend up. Maxie walked over to Archie with his arms crossed over his chest. Lightly, he leaned on his shoulder. 

"We're going to have to keep an eye on Barry," he whispered. "He's bound to run off and drag the other two with him."

"Maybe he'll tucker out?" Archie offered and Maxie looked at him as though that was the stupidest thing he's ever heard. "Okay, okay. Maybe not. Also hey, I got a question for ya."

"Yes?"

"Did ya ever hook up with some lady, like, eight years ago and forgot to wrap up? Dawn's like a mini-you."

Maxie's face turned a little red at the accusation. "Once again, that's for me to know and for you not to know. However, I can safely assure you that I'm not the unknowing father to a child. If what you say is true, then we are bound to have a fun night," he said sarcastically. 

"Next time, let me talk to Ayako."

"In your dreams."

The toilet flushed and Dawn emerged from the bathroom a moment later. She looked over at her friends before joining in on the fun of petting the Mightyenas. The Pokemon looked like they were in absolute heaven. Archie was almost reluctant to return them back to their balls, but he did after giving the kids a brief warning. 

"A'ight scamps. I think we're ready to go. Don't wander off, got it? There's a lot of spooky scary stuff out tonight that me and X will keep ya safe from."

"Every scary thing out there is fake though," Dawn piped up. "All of the monsters are either decorations or people dressed up as monsters. Nothing's gonna hurt us." 

Archie placed his hands on his hips and made a clicking sound with his tongue. It was easy to combat Maxie's snark since he was a grown ass man. He couldn't really smart off to a seven year old. 

"Real or fake, you three need to stay with us," Maxie said, coming up to wrap a hand around Archie's arm. It was surprisingly comforting. "If you wander off, I'll be sure to tell all of your mothers that you were misbehaving." Monsters couldn't scare these seven year olds, but they all looked terrified when Maxie threatened them with telling. Seeing that he had them where he wanted them, Maxie grinned. "Alright. Now that we're in agreement, let's get some candy." 

The three kids were quick to change their moods from scared to joyous as they cheered. Barry rushed off first, but before either of the men could scold him he stopped and waited at the door. It looked like Maxie's threat worked. 

"Hurry up then! If we get a late start and I miss a single house that has good candy I'm fining both of you a million bucks!" 

The men looked at each other as Dawn scampered past them. Lucas stayed behind momentarily to say "his mom works in a traffic court and deals with fines all day," before joining his friends near the door. It made sense. Kinda. Archie just shrugged it off and took Maxie's hand in his own. 

With the adults' permission, the kids were quick to leave the house and jump into the street. The quiet town of Floraroma was by no means as busy as it was during the Shaymin Festival, but it was rather busy tonight. Kids were dressed up as everything under the sun. Fairy princesses, monsters, superheroes, favorite Pokemon, the list could do on. The sun was going down and Archie threw out Azumarill. Not only would she help keep the kids in line, but her tail also glowed. It was come to be useful when the sun went down and the town was covered in calm darkness. 

The town itself knew how to celebrate. Every house was decorated with spooktacular decorations. Even Archie and Maxie had put a few jack-o-lanterns and cheap ghosts on their porch to blend in with the rest of the community. The town was going to be fun to walk through. The cold air, not so much. Maxie already wrapped his cape a little closer to himself to keep warm. Archie was doing just fine right now, but he knew he was going to be miserable within an hour. That just gave him an excuse to squeeze Maxie's hand a little tighter and hold him a little closer. Gligar normally hissed at him when he got too close, but right now the most she did was click her pincers a few times to warn him to stay away. Archie didn't move. 

"So, stupid question time," Archie started, keeping a careful eye on the trio that scampered just a few feet ahead of them. Out of the three of them, he was most concerned about Barry wandering off. Dawn had a nice grip on his wrist, playfully swinging it as they walked, so it looked like they could relax right now. "They just go up to the houses with lights on and get candy, right?"

Maxie has heard a lot of stupid things come out of Archie's mouth, but that question yanked the rug out from under his feet. "You're joking, right?" Archie shook his head and Maxie covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a laugh. "Wow. You've never been trick-or-treating?"

"I never spent a lot of time on land when I was a scamp." He shrugged. "By the time I was permanently living on land, I was too old to trick-or-treat. I was old enough to throw eggs at people's houses though," he snickered. 

"Oh, that's boring. Where's the fun in egging houses when you can burn the contents in garbage cans instead?"

"You did not," Archie gaped. 

"I know it may not seem like it now, but I was a delinquent back in my teenage years." Maxie smirked. "I've calmed down, obviously." Maxie turned his gaze from Archie to the children when he saw them step up to the first house of the night. Barry was the one who knocked on the door and they were greeted by an old lady with bright red cheeks and Pikachu ears. 

Idly, Maxie swung their hands ever so slightly and rest against Archie. "You are more than welcome to be angry at me for agreeing to be a babysitter every time Ayako comes to the door, but I want you to know that every time I've done something for her hasn't been done through spite." He sighed out lightly. The kids giggled with glee as they hopped off of the porch and ran back to the street, looking at their bags to see what they have. "One day in the future, today will be a fond memory in their minds. They deserve to have these kind of experiences while they still can."

Archie looked down at Maxie, not entirely for sure what to say right off of the bat. He will admit, he was always a little annoyed every time Ayako came over to drop Lucas off, but that annoyance quickly faded when he started playing around with Lucas. Lightly, he bumped into Maxie while they walked. "And you call me the sap," he teased. "They do look like they're having fun."

"It's because they are," Maxie replied, bumping him back. "And we're going to have fun stealing some of their candy when they're not looking. They don't need all of what they're going to get tonight."

"Y'know...I'm not fightin' ya on this one. You do whatever you want. Just don't come crawlin' to me when a seven year old kicks your ass," he laughed. 

Right off the bat it felt liked tonight was going to be a long and drawn out night trying to keep three kids under control. However, it proved to be rather easy. The kids laughed and chatted amongst themselves as they went from door to door, getting tasty treats and even small trinkets that were probably going to end up getting thrown away when their moms made them clean their rooms. Barry got a little too carried away and ran ahead of the group, but all it took was a firm warning to get him to come back.

The chilly air of the night wasn't entirely that bad either. Azumarill's tail glowed bright enough for the kids to see as the sun left the sky and the moon took its place. Maxie was also doing a pretty decent job at keeping him warm. It wasn't a lot of warmth, but it was enough to keep him from being miserable. He never thought that he would cherish Maxie's presence, but here he was.It wasn't just for warmth either. Archie really couldn't put his finger on it, but something was telling him that he liked how Maxie held his hand and stayed close to him. His normally harsh face was soft and relaxed tonight. Archie caught himself taking a few too many glimpses at his face for no reason other than to look at it. Maxie's face and features had always been so repulsive to him when they were on opposite sides. Now...he kind of liked looking at it. He liked it when Maxie was this close to him. He liked pretending that they were a cavity inducing sappy couple.

He liked Maxie.

That realization sent a chill down his back. He was quick to shake it off. What in the world was he thinking? Maxie was tolerable, not likable in the slightest. But then again, they have been getting along rather well as of late. Maxie's been spending more time out in the living room with him. Normally Archie would entertain himself by watching a movie while Maxie drew his legs up in the recliner and worked on the book of the week. He wasn't entirely for sure how it happened, but the two always managed to break away from what they were doing and simply talk like two normal human beings who haven't spent the last decade of their lives fighting each other. It was strange to see Maxie as a fellow human being rather than an insane demon. but he honestly wasn't about to complain about it. 

"Bernie?" Maxie snapped his fingers in front of his face to snap him out of his thoughts. Archie blinked in surprise and looked over at him. "There you are. I thought I lost you for a second there. You better hope that what you were lost in thought about was more important than what I was trying to talk to you about."

"Is it ever?"

"Not really, no," Maxie snickered. He had absolutely no right to be so quirky when he was in Xavier mode. He kept his snark, but instead of keeping his voice rigid and serious, he was playful. "Fortunately for you, what I was talking about wasn't life or death. I was just wanting to know what kind of movies you wanted to watch when the kids were asleep."

"Eh. I know it's Halloween and all but horror movies and me-wait. Whadday mean 'when the kids are asleep?' We ain't hostin' a sleep over, are we?" Maxie's nervous smile was enough of an answer for Archie. He let out a sigh, but otherwise didn't protest. "You're lucky I like Lucas."

"As well as the little bonus Ayako and the other mothers are throwing in for us to watch them over night. I know you've been wanting to go out to that Unovian restaurant in Jubilife. We might be able to treat ourselves a little bit."

"Can't argue with that." Archie shrugged and laughed a little bit. His eyes shifted from Maxie to look at the bouncy ball of light that inched closer to him. He hasn't seen Azumarill with that big of a smile on her cutesy face in a long time. She was an old soul, but it looked like she was having fun keeping up with the energetic kids. In her nubby arms were various types of wrapped candy. Her jingly voice chimed and she stood up on the tips of her feet, wanting to two to take them. Maxie was quick to grab a few pieces and Archie cleaned up the rest. "So I take it as the scamps wanted to finally share, huh?"

"Thank Arceus. Halloween is not as fun when you are not allowed to get the candy." Not even half a minute after being given the candy Maxie was already popping some of the chocolate treats in his mouth. 

"Oh yeah. I keep on forgetting you have the sweet tooth that dentists only see in their nightmares."

"Let me live, Bernie."

"The day I stop pickin' on ya will be the day I die. It's just so-" Archie looked up to see if the kids were watching only to see a severe lack of a mummy, a witch, and Frankenstein's monster, "easy..."

"Hm? What's wrong?"

The kids couldn't have gone too far off. They were standing just a few feet in front of them only a few seconds ago! They probably ended up going to a different house without saying something. Yeah. That totally had to be it. Archie craned his neck, trying to see if he could spy any of the three troublemakers at one of the houses on the street. It would have been an easier feat if there were less kids running around on the streets. Despite all of their colorful costumes, everyone seemed to blend together. 

"Hey X...You see the kids anywhere?" 

Maxie rose a curious brow. "They're right in front of us, aren't they?" he said, but his voice was hesitant. He and Azumarill looked around as well. Azumarill let out a distressed squeak and Maxie's grip on Archie's hand tightened when they realized the kids were no where to be found. "Surely they have to be around here somewhere. Lucas! Dawn! Barry!" They waited in their spot for a moment, hoping that the three kids would come running back to them. When that didn't happen, panic set in.

Maxie removed his hand from Archie's and hastened his stride on the street. Archie jogged to catch up with him. Those scrawny legs knew how to move. Much like Maxie did before, Archie called out their names, hoping his booming voice would be more effective. It wasn't. 

Their hurried scan through the street proved to be just as fruitful as calling out their names, which was as fruitful as a harvest after a drought in the desert. The kids were nowhere to be found. 

"You don't think someone grabbed them, do you?" Maxie asked. He was trying to stay calm and collected, but there was a hint of panic in his voice. 

"Oh please. No one would'a been able to grab blondie. They probably just wanna make our lives difficult and ran off." Archie pulled out Mightyena's pokeball and tossed him out into the street. His tail was wagging happily as he looked around to see so many people around. "Mightyena might be able to pick up a scent. Your Gligar can fly around and see if she sees anything. She can also scare a couple of kids too, but that ain't part of the mission."

Maxie rolled his eyes, but nodded nonetheless. He removed the Pokemon from his shoulders and gently tossed her in the air just so she could catch a little wind. "See if you can find the children," he instructed but if was hard to say if she was going to obey. He hasn't had much of an opportunity to train her like he has the rest of his team. 

With a simple instruction, Mightyena sniffed the ground and scampered back the way they came. The men and Azumarill were quick to follow his lead. Azumarill was never much of a chatty Pokemon, but nothing but frustrated noises left her mouth ever since the children's disappearance. Archie gave her a gentle pat on the head to help calm her down and Maxie couldn't help but look over at her. 

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah. For one, she's mad that they tricked her like that. For two, she has the same temperament as my ma. Both of them would'a beat my ass if I did something stupid like this. I mean, I have and they did."

"In that case, she's going back in her ball once we find the children," Maxie said sternly.

Before Archie could make a rebuttal, Mightyena picked up speed. The Pokemon was able to weave through the crowd of parents and children alike with ease. The adults, not so much. Archie probably hasn't apologized to so many people in his life after constantly bumping into person after person. He even ended up putting Azumarill back in her ball since she she was bulky and was having a hard time keeping up. Poor old soul. She wasn't the young and energetic Azurill she used to be. 

The further they went from the safe streets of the town, the more worried the duo became. Where in the world did the kids scamper off to? Surely that's what happened. They just got a little too rambunctious and wanted to take advantage of their laid back babysitters by running off, thinking that the old geezers weren't going to notice. It was more plausible than someone managing to wrangle three energetic kids into the back of a van or something along the lines of that. 

"Where the hell did they go?" Archie grumbled. "We looked away for a solid two seconds."

"Barry has the energy to go all the way to Jubilife in that span of time," Maxie muttered. 

"We outta just go back home and give 'em a good scare that way."

"And have three angry mothers on our asses? I think not. I remember how my mother use to rave and rant every time one of my babysitters allowed me to do something stupid. I really don't want to be on the receiving end of that."

"Then just let me take care of it. They wouldn't say shit against a guy like me."

"When their children are involved, yes they would."

Archie threw his head back with a groan. He grew up surrounded by a rather rough crowd, but his mother was always there to knock a few teeth out if some poor unfortunate soul said something or did something to her boys. "Dammit, you're right."

"Aren't I always?"

"You really wanna answer to that?"

"It would be appreciated."

"Well, sucks, 'cause ya ain't gettin' one."

"Oh, how you torture me so."

Mightyena barked to snap the two out of their conversation and back into reality. They were at the very edge of town, overlooking Route 205. A few kids in costumes had ventured out this far, but it looked like this was primarily a teenage hangout. Wannabe trainers were battling their low level Pokemon. Some were even trying to scare some of the smaller kids. 

Gligar alerted the men of her presence by making a soft hissing noise before gracefully landing back on Maxie's back. She looked disappointed that she wasn't able to successfully find the kids, but Maxie still scratched her cheek to make her feel a little better. 

"Perhaps we should ask around and see if any of these hooligans have seen the children," Maxie offered. 

"The most these kids are gonna say is that you should look at your mom's house. Or up your ass. Both are classics." Mightyena scampered off once more, careful to make sure that the humans were still behind him. 

Archie put his full faith in Mightyena's sniffer, but it felt like they were going too far away from town. Instead of exploring the route, Mightyena continued to head up north toward Eterna Forest. Those kids were going to end up dead by one of three forces. Either the Pokemon in the forest were going to kill them, their babysitters were going to kill them, or their mothers were going to kill them and then their babysitters for letting this happen to begin with. The closer they got to the forest, the whiter Archie's fists became. The last time he wandered into a forest he ended up getting blasted by Darkrai's nightmare ball. He didn't want to go further. Mightyena seemed to have the same thought. The closer he got to the forest, the more nervous he became. He kept his head low and whimpered, practically begging his owner not to make him go any further. 

Maxie snapped his fingers in front of Archie's face. "Are you still with me? I believe that your Mightyena led us down the wrong path."

Archie shook his head. "He didn't." Maxie looked at him quizzically as Archie returned the creature back to his ball. He promised himself that he was going to learn from his mistakes, and going into the woods in the dead of night was one of those mistakes. Darkrai was probably off terrorizing some other town, but the possibility that it was still out there, lurking and waiting for his revenge, loomed over Archie. They may have the lunar wing now, but any second spent in such a nightmarish state was a second too long. 

Maxie took his hand. No one was around to see them so there was no need to put on the act, but this was no act. Archie looked down in surprise, only to have Maxie drag him toward the forest a moment later. "If that is the case, then we have no business waiting around here. Let's fine the children and go home. It's getting cold and this shirt is probably the thinnest one I own. You didn't bring a jacket I could steal either."

"It didn't go with the costume," he laughed lightly, already feeling a little better about this. 

The forest along Route 204 was nothing compared to Eterna Forest. No source of light from the waning moon above or the stars that accompanied it could be seen through the thick branches. The colorful leaves littered the ground, creating satisfying crunches with every step taken. They hoped that keeping their ears open for those crunches would result in them finding the children. 

Once more, then men picked up the habit of calling out their names. Lucas, Dawn, Barry. Dawn, Barry, Lucas. Lucas, Lucas, Barry, Dawn. The further in the forest they went, the less hopeful they became. 

"They're not here," Maxie finally concluded, running his free hand through his slicked back hair and making a disgusted face once his hand touched the gel since he kind of forgot it was there. Instead of wiping it off on his own clothes, he wiped his hand on Archie's ripped up sleeve. 

"They have to be. Where else would they be? The lil' shits are just probably hiding in the bushes or somethin'."

"In that case I'll burn all of these bushes in order to draw them out."

"Not before I flood 'em."

Before either of them could carry out the plans that they honestly weren't going to carry out to begin with, a flash of blue light caught the corner of Archie's eye. His grip on Maxie's hand became tighter, remembering those luminescent blue eyes from the nightmare Pokemon.

"It's not Darkrai," Maxie reassured him softly. "That was too large and too bright to be Darkrai. It certainly was something though." Maxie took a few steps forward, tugging Archie along with him. 

"I dunno about you, but bright lights in dark forests ain't good things. They normally end up leading to some creepy cabin or ritual site or-" as he spoke, an old fashioned, two story house came into view. It was worn down with paint chipping off of the sides and a few broken windows in the front. Vines and other plant life had grown up the walls and around the large front yard, completely untamed and exotic compared to the rest of the forest. Guarding all of this was a rusty iron spiked fence. Impaled on one of the spikes was a costume bandage. "-or a creepy ol' house that is definitely haunted."

"So what I'm hearing is the mighty Archie is afraid of a few ghost Pokemon?" Maxie released Archie's hand and tugged on the gate. It wouldn't so much as budge. 

"Nooooo. What I'm saying is I know how these movies always end up going. The kids end up getting possessed. One of them, probably girlie, ends up stabbing me since the black guy never survives, and then you get locked in a basement for all eternity for some fuckin' reason."

"So, you're afraid to go in is what I'm hearing. You know, like a scaredy Skitty."

"Y'know, I would probably be offended by that if I was eight and stupid."

"It is such a shame you are no longer an eight year old." Maxie gave the gate one final tug before giving up. "Camerupt could probably knock this down," he mused to himself and took a step back. Archie scoffed with offense.

"Camerupt? Please. Anythin' with even an ounce of muscle can pry open a rusty gate."

"Well, I certainly don't see your ass doing anything. I'm convinced you're simply too afraid to go into a creepy house in the middle of the woods."

"Are you even listening to yourself? Goddamn, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one."

"So you finally admit it, huh?" Maxie inquired with a smirk. "You are cowardly and I'm intelligent, as well as braver than you will ever be."

Archie clenched his fists again, but this time it wasn't out of fear. He honestly forgot just how frustrating Maxie could be. He dare call Archie of all people cowardly?! Fire lit up behind his eyes as he moved forward. "Yer gonna eat those words, Max. Move."

Without protest, Maxie stepped aside and allowed Archie to have plenty of room to work. His hands clenched around the rusty bars. His ripped shirt looked like it was having a hard time adjusting to his flexing muscles. With a mighty grunt, Archie busted open the rusty locked gate. The back of his shirt ripped in the process, causing Maxie to be really thankful the inky night sky prevented the redness of his cheeks from being seen. 

Triumphantly, Archie swung open the gate and stepped inside the property. They could be breaking and entering an occupied residence for all they knew, but right now Archie was too much in the zone to care about any of that. 

"There's the Archie I know," Maxie mumbled to himself as he followed the man. 

Once they were about halfway to the door, they saw the familiar blue light again. This time it was most prominent the center upstairs window. Correlating perfectly with the bright light were high pitched screams coming from multiple kids. The men looked at each other and ran toward the door.

Using the same amount of force to pry open the gate, Archie threw open the door. However, the door was surprisingly unlocked and not really that heavy, so Archie ended up stumbling inside, ready to fall flat on his face if Maxie didn't grab onto the back of his shirt first and hoisted him back to his feet. 

The house certainly did look abandoned. Dust was thick in the air. Cobwebs lined every corner of the front room, and it was safe to assume that was the case everywhere else in the house. There wasn't a single light on from what Archie could see, but there was a faint blue glow coming from the upstairs hallway. The door behind them slammed shut, causing both of the men to jump. Archie grabbed Maxie and held him close, part to protect the man and part to protect himself with a very thin human shield. Maxie didn't seemed opposed to it, but Gligar didn't like being squished and poked Archie with her stinger until he released them. 

"We are so gonna die in here," Archie mumbled. 

"Gastlies are tricksters and like to play harmless jokes. Nothing more," Maxie replied. Gligar nuzzled against his neck, seeking comfort in such a scary place. Maxie scratched her cheek in the hopes that would be enough to keep her calm. "However, I don't wish to spend any more time in here than necessary."

Off in the distance, a door creaked open and tiny feet ran quickly against the squeaky floorboards, screaming all the while. Barking also filled the air. They didn't sound like a playful Poochyena or a lovable Growlithe. The barks were gruffer, more intimidating. 

"Those are Houndooms," Maxie gasped. 

"You sure?"

"Two guarded my house when I was a child, yes I know."

Without wasting even more time, the two bounded up the stairs. At the top they looked both ways just to make sure they weren't missing anything before going right, aka, the direction where they heard the most commotion. The blue light was gone but shining into the hallway from one of the rooms was a greyish light and the sound of static. The door to that room slammed shut, but the light still peered out from under the door. 

The screams were louder and more terrified. The men threw out their Mightyenas as they raced down the hallway. Wasting no time, the Mightyenas bared their teeth and took the lead, sensing the trouble up ahead. 

Turning the corner lead to a dead end. Two Houndooms inched closer to their prey; a witch protecting a mummy and Frankenstein's monster. Dawn stretched out her arms, shielding her two cowering friends from the oncoming attack. Tears streamed down all of their faces, but she was doing her hardest to put on a tough face. 

"Mightyena, get them!" Archie and Maxie shouted in unison, looked at each other since that wasn't planned, and then quickly turned their attention back to the fight. 

Snarls were exchanged between all of the dogs, but the Mightyenas were quick to go in for the attack. Archie's Mightyena went for the neck whereas Maxie's went for the torso. Considering that the Houndoom could breathe fire, Archie's had the better idea. 

Their owners gave them minimal orders, but orders were always issued when the fight got a little too close to the children. They didn't really have to win this battle. They just needed to get the kids away from the dogs. 

However, winning was nice and helpful in the long run. The Houndooms were strong. Much stronger than any wild Pokemon could ever get. They were by themselves though. Without any guidance, it was hard for Pokemon to win in trainer battles. Their Mightyenas took a lot of damage, but they stayed standing. 

As soon as the Houndooms were down, the kids ran past them. One of the Houndoom was about the blast Barry with a fire attack, but Archie's Mightyena slashed at its face with his clawed paw before the attack could leave its mouth. 

"Bernie! Xavier!" the kids cried. Barry and Lucas tackled Archie while Dawn clung onto Maxie's side and buried her face against his shirt. Archie was quick to scoop the kids up and Maxie gently patted Dawn on the back. 

"What the hell were you three thinking?!" Archie shouted like a concerned father, but held them close nonetheless. 

"It was Barry's idea!" Lucas sobbed from both terror and relief. "He...he wanted to show us this spooky place."

"And you guys wanted to see it!" Barry countered and angrily wiped the tears from his eyes. "It's normally cool and abandoned!"

"So you guys just ran of without tellin' me or X?!"

"I think that goes without saying," Dawn piped up. Archie took a dangerous step forward and she cowered behind Maxie, shielding herself with part of his cheap cape. 

"We will have this discussion later," Maxie concluded. "Now, we are going home."

There were no protests from the group. Barry did want to be let down, but no matter how much he struggled he just could not get out of Archie's grip. It became even harder when Archie slung him over his shoulder like a light bag of flour. Lucas at least looked like enjoyed being tossed over the man's shoulder. He stopped crying, at least. 

The group was cautious as they hurried down the corridor once more. The Mightyenas were in the fronts once more. Their hair on their backs were practically sticking up straight and low growls came from their throats, threatening any of the ghost Pokemon that wanted to mess with them further. 

"I hope we don't see that crazy old man again," Lucas whispered over to Barry, but was close enough for Archie to hear. 

"Crazy old man! That thing was totally a ghost!" Barry replied, not whispering. 

"Ghosts or not, ain't nothin' gonna hurt ya now kiddos," Archie assured them. Once they reached the top of the staircase, Dawn gasped and fully hid behind Maxie now. The Mightyenas snarled, itching for another fight. Standing in front of their escape was a short, hunched over old man. A white lab coat laid on top of a silver striped shirt with a yellow "G" on his chest. In his hand was a manila file folder with the same "G" printed on it.

"You children are much too troublesome," he spat. "You bothered my work and now you think you can escape."

"And who exactly might you be?" Maxie narrowed his eyes in on the man.

"Other some kind of maniac that sics Houndoom on a couple of kids!" Archie added. He didn't need Mightyena. He was very tempted to take this man down himself. So much so he let the boys back down to their feet. Thankfully, instead of running off they hid behind him, peaking out over his sides. 

The old man stayed silent for a moment before a snicker escaped his lips. "You two certainly are ones to talk about how to treat mere children."

Archie felt a little fist clench the back of his well torn shirt. "You're a monster!" Lucas shouted and then immediately retreated behind Archie. 

"Monsters don't exist, child," the old man replied coolly. "However, if I had to guess as to what exactly a monster would look and act like, either of the men standing before me would be able to fit that description just nicely."

Archie's heart pounded against his chest. He exchanged a nervous glance with Maxie before toughening up his looks, staring down the man once more. "The hell ya talkin' about, ya ol' geezer?" His voice was just as tough and threatening as Mightyena's growls. 

"You two know exactly what I'm talking about. I must say I wish that our introductions would have been a little better than this." The old man coughed into his fist and took a step forward. "My name is Charon, one of Team Galactic's noble Commanders. Now, I hope that all of you understand that no one will be leaving without my say so."

"Yer gettin' cocky, old man. We'll fucking obliterate you."

"It is in your best interest to stop these games and step aside," Maxie added. 

"Why should the fun cease now? Especially since my friend is retrieving some snacks for us. Oh Rotom, you know it's rude to keep the guests waiting."

The men tensed up, diverting their gaze from the old man to one of the doorways when a loud crash followed by loud thumping filled the air. Archie's Mightyena couldn't hold back any longer. He bounded down the stairs and lunged for Charon's neck, only to be blasted to the side with a jolt of neon blue electricity. Mightyena crashed into an antique desk, snapping one of the legs off. 

Now in the room was a...flying orange refrigerator. The door slammed open and shut, letting whatever ancient contents it hand in it spill out. Blue sparks of electricity radiated from it. A buzzing came from the top, but if Archie didn't know any better he would have guessed that the fridge was laughing at them. 

"Rotom, I'm sure they would enjoy a frozen treat," Charon called. The freezer door flung open and out came an ice beam. Grabbing the kids, Archie and Maxie bounded down opposite flights of stairs. Archie withdrew his Mightyena and Maxie was quick to do the same to his after his poor pooch's paws were frozen to the floor. As Archie tried to think of a good match up against this thing, Maxie was already on the case. He threw out Weezing and immediately ordered for a smokescreen. 

"Cover your mouths," Archie ordered to the kids, not following his own advice. He was always down for a battle, but it wasn't every day that he had three defenseless kids to handle. He knew when to run away from a fight, and this was one of those rare times. With the distraction, Archie's teary eyes looked around. Rotom and Charon couldn't see them, but they also couldn't see anything in the room now. But Archie did know that the windows were in the front of the room. He took a few steps forward until he saw a small source of light coming from the moon. There!

He dragged the kids along with him. They didn't have time to search around for something that could be thrown against the window, so it looked like Archie was doing this the hard way. "Stand back!" Once the kids were a foot or so away from him, Archie drew his fist back and slammed it against the glass. The first punch resulted in a small crack. The second expanded the crack. Finally, the third one busted through. Bloody glass crashed against the ground outside. Archie added onto the mess by dislodging the rest of the glass, allowing a larger space to escape through. He picked up Lucas and Barry and helped them through the window. "Go to the gate and wait for us. Don't you dare go any further." The boys nodded in clear understanding and ran off. 

With the busted window, the smokescreen was slowly clearing out of the room. It was still hard to make anything out. Dawn shrieked and Maxie screamed in pain as something was slammed against the wall. Archie tossed Crobat out to get him to get rid of some of the smoke. Lying on the ground with Gligar in her arms was Dawn. Being pinned against the wall by a heavy and very shocking piece of machinery was Maxie. Archie was quick to pick Dawn up and place her on her feet. "The window's open, get out of here."

"But-"

"Go!" He didn't want to, but he shoved Dawn to get her moving. Luckily, it worked. She ran off to the window. 

"My my. Given your record I was sure that you would have left along with the children. Never in my life would I have thought that you would be saving him," Charon said, tiliting his head in Maxie's direction. Rotom shoved his further against the wall, causing another pained sound the leave him. 

Archie glared at the old man. He didn't care how he knew them. He didn't care what he wanted. All he cared around was getting out of here with Maxie. "Now that I have your full attention, allow me to-"

"Fuck you! Toxic!" Archie shouted and pointed at the old man. Crobat was quick to comply. A violet substance spewed out of Crobat's mouth and landed on Charon. Rotom made a distressed buzz and moved away from Maxie. Maxie fell to his knees, coughing up a storm ad Rotom charged at Archie. He tucked and rolled out of the way as the fridge slammed a hole into the wall. 

Quick on his feet, he went over to Maxie's side and helped him up, noticing that he held the manila folder in his hand. "You alright?"

"I will be." Maxie said between the coughs. Rotom showed signs of moving again and instead of waiting for Maxie to recover on his own, Archie scooped him up bridal style and ran to the now unblocked door. Instead of protesting, Maxie wrapped his arms around Archie's neck to further secure himself. 

Another ice beam blasted past them, barely missing Archie's head. In a moment that was perfect to make an epic escape, Archie's charged against the door only for it to not budge an inch. 

"You have to pull it, asshole."

"I'll fucking drop you."

Ruining his epic escape, Archie pulled open the door and ran out. Weezing and Crobat were following close behind. Weezing released another smokescreen just to throw the fridge off once again as Archie met the kids at the gate and made their grand escape. 

////

Both of the men fell onto the bed, letting out harsh, exhausted groans. It was one in the morning, meaning Halloween was officially over with. They had both changed out of their costumes and into comfy lounge wear practically as soon as they got home. Well, a few other things came first. First, the kids needed to be scolded. However, both of them kept their words a little lighter than they originally planned. All three of the kids looked so traumatized. There was no need to add to that. 

Maxie had taken the bullet to call the mothers and explain the night's events to them while Archie got to be the cool babysitter and picked up some pizza for everyone from the PokeMart. 

Nearing midnight, the children had finally settled down. Maxie had found a good, light hearted, not Halloween movie for them to watch. With their bellies full, the lights on, and plenty of Pokemon out of their balls to protect them, one by one they fell asleep on the couch, meaning Archie was sleeping on the bedroom floor tonight.

At least, he hasn't gotten there yet. His face was buried in one of Maxie's pillows and he had no intention of moving any time soon. "I know I was a troublemaker when I was a kid," he mumbled, moving his head so Maxie could better hear him, "but I know for a goddamn fact I didn't, like, actively seek out haunted houses or find eco-terrorist organizations to destroy. This generation of kids are somethin' else."

"I agree." Maxie rolled over on his side to face Archie, but his eyes noticed the red blots on his cover, then on Archie's hand. They've been home for hours and he just now noticed Archie's bloodied up knuckles? He didn't feel like rolling out of bed, but he did. "I'll be back."

Archie was honestly too tired to come up with a snappy comeback. All he knew was that Maxie returned a moment later with some bandages and wipes in hand. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took Archie's hand. Without any protest from Archie, Maxie cleaned the blood off of his hand and then started to wrap the bandage around it. 

"However, a few good things came out of tonight," he sighed. His solemn tone deeply contradicting his words. "And by good I mean informational. Charon knows who we are. He probably knows where we live too. The more I think about it, the more I'm drawing connections between his appearance tonight and the events that happened the night of the Shaymin Festival. I have every reason to believe Team Galactic knows our location. It would have been nice to know what they wanted if someone didn't poison the old fool." Maxie pressed the bandages just to make sure they were nice and firm on Archie's fist, but he didn't move his hands away. Archie wasn't about to move his either. It felt weird, but at the same time, it was really nice holding Maxie's hands. 

"We needed to get the kids home. An' frankly, I didn't give a damn what he wanted. If something like that happens again, we'll just take the spacemen down in a fight. We've done it twice now."

"It isn't good for our image though."

"We pissed 'em off during the festival and now they want revenge. Easy." Archie shrugged and rolled over on his back. 

Maxie sighed again and patted his hand before moving it off of him. Archie sat up and watched Maxie grab the manila folder from his desk and bring it back over to the bed. "At least I grabbed this so we can have some ideas as to what they want."

The moment that Maxie opened up the folder, his eyes went wide. Not wanting to wait his turn, Archie scooted over to get a better look.

His heart stopped. 

"That's...there's no way he could have this. All of this was destroyed..." Archie mumbled.

"Archie..."

Faded in the background of the document was a white, bubbly "A" symbol. The Team Aqua insignia that represented an official Team Aqua document. Every page had one on it. A red pen heavily circled and underlined portions of the text with scribbly annotations in the margins. 

Archie noticed all of these details after seeing and staring at the title of the document in disbelief. In big, bold letters, the title read:

FOR THE LEADER AND ADMINS' EYES ONLY

CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTATION

PROJECT AZOTH

Before Archie could investigate further, the lights turned off. The kids woke up just to scream now that they were in the dark. The weather was clear so the power outage could only have been caused by one thing.

"Goddammit Bucky!" Both of the men shouted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!!!!! This is by far the longest chapter since it shifts the story into something a little more plot driven. I sure hope you guys like Team Galactic >:3c  
> As always, you can leave any questions/comments/concerns in the comments below or send a message to my blog authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: Looker comes to town.


	14. Looker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An investigator from the International Police pays a visit.

Archie was rambling. He was rambling about how there was no way that Team Galactic could have gotten their hands on such confidential files. Every single document Team Aqua had had been burned, much like what Maxie did with every physical document Team Magma had. Digital copies were destroyed en masse as well. The only surviving Team Magma documents were held on two flashdrives that were tucked away in a small, secure lock box in the corner of the bedroom closet. Archie didn't even have that. 

The panic was justified. As soon as Ayako picked up the children from the eventful Halloween night, Archie started pacing around the house, desperately trying to figure out how Team Galactic got their hands on his documents, Project AZOTH, nonetheless. 

This has been going on for a week and Maxie was frankly getting tired of the circle talk. Everything that came out of Archie's mouth was repetitive. Question after question with no answer in sight. 

Maxie sat on the floor. His laptop was setting on the coffee table with a blotchy PDF opened up. A notebook sat to the side and his fingers twirled a pen as he tried to focus on the words. Whoever uploaded this PDF must have been using the world's shittiest scanner. All of the words were bloated as if someone put ten extra layers of ink when typing up the letters. 

Archie, on the other hand, was pacing around the living room. Maxie was surprised that a rut hadn't been created yet due to how much Archie has walked the same path. 

"You are going to drive yourself mad if you continue this," Maxie said coolly despite his inner frustrations. 

"Shut up. Since we don't got a punching bag I can beat the shit out of, pacing is the next best thing to help me think."

"At this point, I believe that you simply have to put that last brain cell down. I recommend giving it a mercy death rather than dragging it out like this." Maxie jotted down a note, but immediately scribbled it out. 

Archie stopped his pacing and leaned on the back of the couch. "Dude, I know I ain't one to talk like this, but this is some serious shit. Shit we need to be worried about."

"I would much rather act than panic. From what I've read, Team Galactic is still a rather new organization. Their main goal is the change the world for the better, but how they plan on doing that is still nothing more than a guessing game." Maxie tapped the end of his pen against the paper as he thought. "Surely they wouldn't be after Groudon and Kyogre, especially after seeing the aftermath of our mistakes. Plus, their theme does not really fit for those legendaries. Your document was annotated heavily. Things were underlined, scratched out, so forth and so on. It looked like they were trying to modify it. My hypothesis is that they want to use Project AZOTH as the building blocks to their plans, whatever they may be. Hence why I am trying to do some research on legendaries here in Sinnoh. For a region that prides itself on mythology, everything that I have been able to find is merely baseline knowledge third graders are taught during a world legends course."

"But how they even got their hands on the documents is what I'm worried the most with." Archie rubbed his chin. For months he had been keeping himself on the clean shaven side, but now that No-shave-ember has arrived he was taking that challenge to heart and allowing it to be a good excuse to fully grow his beard out again. It's only been a week and his black facial hair covered the lower half of his face. It would be a while before he had a full beard again, but he was happy to have something. 

"Your admins could have handed it over, be it voluntary or not," Maxie replied and jotted down another note. Archie shook his head.

"My guys would never do that! I'm tellin' ya, everything was fucking destroyed!"

"Whether you like it or not, it is a possibility to consider. We know that your big friend is here in Sinnoh with us and he wanted to resurrect Team Aqua-"

"Matt might not have the best sense of judgement," Archie interrupted, "but he ain't a complete moron. He knows better than to pull somethin' like that. Besides, he's excitable. If he did something like that, then he would'a told me by now hoping that he would get a pat on the head."

"Maybe. Maybe not. You did make your intentions about Team Aqua's future very clear. Perhaps those statements scared him off from admitting what he did?"

"There's nothing to admit since he didn't do shit!" Archie was getting frustrated and Maxie gave him a warning look to tone it down a notch. 

"In that case, continue being naive. I don't care. I'm more concerned with what Team Galactic plans on doing with Project AZOTH. From what I've read, we may be in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Archie asked and jumped over the couch, deflating into the cushions. 

"Sinnoh has quite the selection of legendaries, all of them extremely powerful. Groudon and Kyogre were powerful in their own right, but despite being gods their powers were earthly, if that makes sense. Groudon controlled the land, Kyogre the seas. Nothing more. These Sinnoh legendaries take things up a notch. Arceus and creation, Dialga and time, Palkia and space, Giritina and the Distortion World. These Pokemon are gods of mere concepts we has humans would never be able to alter."

"So if these astronaut assholes were able to control any one of these Pokemon..."

"It would be a complete end of the world."

They both knew what sparking the end of the world was like. It was the most terrifying thing Maxie has ever witnessed. He firmly believed that his intentions were good, but he underestimated Groudon's powers. He was so stupid to believe that he could control such a beast. It was even more terrifying to see that a different team was basing their ideas around Aqua and Magma's failed plan. 

Between the two of them, Archie was much more regretful and it showed. Talking about his once beloved team caused him to grow pained, anxious even. Archie's foot tapped against the floor as he lost himself in his horrible thoughts. Despite being once bitter enemies, Maxie really didn't like seeing the man in such a state. After the Darkrai attack, he has noticed the once bold and proud Archie becoming more hesitant. He wanted nothing more than to pick at Archie's brain to see where his troubles lied, but he feared the retaliation Archie would have. 

With a grunt, Maxie got up from the floor. He sat next to Archie and have his muscular arm a pat. He knew that the members of Team Aqua were a very touchy feely people whereas Team Magma was not, but those little doses of affection always seemed to be enough to help ease Archie.

"What the hell are they thinking? It's not like any of our ideas were successful in the slightest," Archie sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. His grey hairs stood out from the rest of his black hair. Maxie would never admit it, but he found those touches of grey to fit with Archie rather well. 

"Well, we did awaken Groudon and Kyorge. That part was successful. Everything that came after that...not so much."

They both groaned and leaned back against the couch. They originally didn't want to mess around with Team Galactic, but now it didn't look like they had a choice. 

The knock at the door made them both jump. 

"Who the hell is that?" Archie asked, looking over at Maxie. 

"No idea. Ayako has the next two days off." Just to make sure that he didn't forget they were supposed to be watching Lucas, he pulled out his PokeNav and saw that he was right. They weren't needed to watch Lucas today.

Maxie got up and straighted himself up. He hated how friendly everyone was in this town. It was always so embarrassing opening the door in his lounge wear. Archie got up as well and headed to the bathroom. If it was just a quick visit, then he could hide out in there until they left. If not, then he could cover up his scar without someone questioning him. 

There were another knock right as Maxie placed his hand on the knob. By now, Maxie was a professional at keeping up the friendly neighbor act. He opened up the door with a warm smile on his face. Standing before him was a man he has never seen before. His black hair looked like it was styled in a rush. His brown trench coat covered up his business attire. The strangest thing about the man was his eyes. They were studious, focused. Already Maxie didn't like this guy. 

"Hello there," Maxie said.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Manchester. I know that this is completely out of the blue for you, but please allow me to have a moment of your time." 

Considering that more than one Giratina Witness has marched up on to their door, Maxie was very tempted to go on and slam the door shut. "My apologies, but I haven't gone to church in years and I don't plan on starting any time soon. I hope you do have a nice day though."

The man looked at him as though he grew a second hand before laughing. "Oh no. No sir, I'm not with a religious organization." He pulled a badge out of his pocket and flashed it to Maxie. The International Police. Maxie had to do everything in his power to keep his current composition. Any signs of nervousness would definitely be noted. "My name is Looker and I'm with the International Police. My partner keeps on getting after me for not starting with that, and I'm beginning to see that she has a point. Would you care if I ask you and your partner a few questions?"

This was bad. This was really bad. "Of course not! Please, do come in. I apologize in advance about the clutter. We have two Mightyenas that like to get into everything." Maxie stepped out of the way and allowed Looker in. On the outside Maxie was doing a good job at keeping his cool. On the inside, he was panicking. 

"Ah, trust me, this is by far one of the nicer homes I've seen in a while." Looker made his way into the living room and looked around. "Is your partner home?"

"Oh yes. He is. Right now he's currently in the bathroom. He has an annoying habit of getting distracted with his PokeNav while he's in there. Please, make yourself comfortable. I'll go and tell him you're here." Careful to keep his steps nice and casual, he wandered to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Bernie dear, a man from the International Police is here." Maxie would have killed to see the look on Archie's face upon receiving the news. 

"I'll be out in a sec." Since Maxie was right next to the door, he could hear the cabinet door opening. Archie better hurry with concealing his scar. 

When Maxie returned to the living room, instead of seeing the man sitting down, minding his own business, he found Looker scanning the room, looking for anything to be out of place. Maxie's eyes darted over to the laptop and his open notebook. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Looker already looked at it. Fortunately, the only person who could read Maxie's handwriting was Maxie. Even Courtney, the most intelligent and analytic person Maxie has ever met, had no idea what his notes said more often than not. Still, he couldn't further risk it.

"Let me just get all of this out of your way," he said and closed his laptop and notebook and placed them in the empty drawer of the table. 

"They weren't in my way at all. You and your partner keep this place in nice shape." Looker glanced over at the corner where their Mightyenas were currently taking a snooze fest. Both of them had doggy beds, but they have gotten into the habit of sharing one. Archie's pooch was down for the count. Maxie's had woken up just long enough to growl at the strange man in the room before realizing that he wasn't an immediate threat. "You two haven't been living here for that long, is that right?"

"Yes." Maxie nodded. "We moved here just a few months ago from Kanto."

"Kanto, eh? That's quite a jump."

"Well, there were certain things that influenced our move. Kanto is a lovely region, but we didn't feel safe there. Between Team Rocket and our more...traditional neighbors, we figured it was time to move somewhere safer. However, I will admit that recent events have made us second guess ourselves."

"I completely understand, Mr. Manchester."

"Please, call me Xavier."

"Certainly. So, Xavier, this is a really nice house, but it doesn't feel all that homey."

Maxie quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, there isn't a single picture on the wall or on your shelves."

That thought has never crossed Maxie's mind. He laughed lightly to himself, albeit a little nervously. Archie needed to be out here now. "Oh, well, I can understand how that seems strange, but I assure you there's a reason for that," he said to stall for time as he thought of a reason. "Like I said, Kanto wasn't the safest place for us to live. We never took pictures with each other except on rare occasions, and even then we didn't dare print them out and flaunt them off in our own home. I know that sounds sad, but it was easier to pass off as being roommates that way if we ever had visitors. I know that Sinnoh is much more open minded, but after living like this for years, it's a hard habit to break."

"Ah. But what about of family?"

Why did this matter? Maxie thought. "My mom hoards my pictures at her house and Bernie...well, he has more personal reasons for not wanting to see pictures of his family."

Before Maxie could have a heart attack, the toilet flushed and Archie came out of the bathroom a moment later, wiping his hands on his pants. His hair was fixed up a little but and his scar was completely covered. "Sorry to keep ya guys waitin'. Bernie Cortez," Archie said, sticking his hand out for Looker to shake. Both men had an iron grip. 

"Looker, at your service."

Maxie was quick to go over to Archie side and took his hand in his own. Today they really had to play up the act. "So, Looker, what exactly are you wanting to question us about? Is it about Team Galactic?" Maxie asked and motioned for them to sit down. Looker sat on the edge of the recliner and the duo took a seat on the couch. 

"You would be right." He nodded and leaned in with interest. "As you two know, Team Galactic has been stirring up a lot of trouble as of late. From my understanding, you two have encountered them twice."

It was such a relief to hear what the topic of this conversation was going to be, but Maxie refused to cave in to a false sense of security. 

"And it's been terrifying during both instances. It was practically as terrifying as my fight with Darkrai."

"Why did you end up fighting them, in that case?" Maxie didn't see a notepad, but he could safely assume that Looker was recording them. People had a right to know if they were being recorded, but the International Police flew by their own rules. 

"What else was I supposed to do?" Maxie countered. Archie squeezed his hand, playing up the act. "During the first scare I was about to run to the safety of my home, but...I honestly don't know what happened. I suppose I was just so tired of running that I decided to put up a fight. I had Bernie with me, as well as a few other trainers who were sick of Team Galactic's antics. I understand that things could have gone south very quickly, but I am very thankful that they didn't."

"What about the second time? Do you think those instances related in any way?"

"I don't think so." Maxie shook his head. How the hell would a random civilian know the answer to that?

"Yeah. Honestly, I think we just accidentally stumbled in on that Charon dude in that creepy ol' house on the edge of Eterna Forest," Archie added. "He had a Pokemon that I ain't never seen before. It looked like an orange fridge. It was strong too. The only reason we were there to begin with was 'cause the kids we were watchin' ran off from us and wandered in there. We just tried to keep the guy off our asses while we got the kids out of there."

"I believe that he kept on calling the Pokemon "Rotom" or something along the lines of that," Maxie said. Looker nodded along to this information, looking intrigued. "Do you know anything about that Pokemon? Like, is it a legendary or something we should be concerned about?"

"It's not a legendary, no," Looker explained quickly. However, his next words were thought out, weeding out the classified information, no doubt. "We have reason to believe that Rotom might be useful to them for reasons I can't specify."

Well, there goes their cheap shot at figuring out what Team Galactic's plans were. 

"That's quite understandable," Maxie was quick to agree. "I honestly don't want to think about what they could be up to. These organizations are getting crazier and crazier. Team Rocket was evil, but at least it was a textbook kind of evil. Then those two groups in Hoenn popped up and wanted to destroy the world or something like that?" Maxie had to do everything in his power not to cringe at those words. He knew that what he wanted to do was to change the world for the better, but he was also hyper aware of his public image during the days he was still leader. "I'm kind of afraid of what Team Galactic wants to do if they want to go another step up the ladder."

"Well, Mr. Manchester, I assure you that I, along with my fellow members of the International Police, are doing everything in our power to keep Team Galactic's threat to a minimum," Looker assured him. "We've learned from our mistakes and plan on nipping this in the bud before it gets too out of hand."

"It might be best if ya stepped up your game a lil' bit," Archie said. Maxie shot him a warning, embarrassed glance. That didn't stop Archie from talking though. "I mean, no offense or anythin', but not only did those teams reach their height, but all of the high ranking people haven't been caught yet. It's been years since the Rocket shit and a couple of months since the...what were their names again? Whatever. The Kyogre and Groudon teams. Not a lot of arrests have been made, and they need to be since those dipshits made us cancel our vacation to Hoenn, among other things. What makes this one so different?"

Maxie squeezed Archie's hand, not out of comfort but rather out of warning. What in the world was he thinking? This is how they blew their cover. Not because someone picked them out in the street. Not because someone gave the cops an anonymous tip. No. It was because a certain someone couldn't keep his mouth shut and ended up slipping up. 

Looker didn't seem fazed by Archie's challenging comment. He's probably used to people questioning his agency's methods in rather not nice ways by now. "Your concern is completely valid and we should have snagged all of those leaders by now, yes, but these men are clever. Clever enough to brainwash hundreds of people into doing their bidding. But I assure you we are much smarter than they are. It's a process, but one day we will bring those men to justice. My partner is investigating the remains of Teams Aqua and Magma-"

"Those are the names, yeah," Archie mumbled.

"-as we speak so I assure you it isn't like we have given up hope. It's just a long and drawn out process."

That answer was much too vague. Where were they in the process of finding them? Did they have any clue as to where they would be? Do they already know? It finally dawned on Maxie that that was what Archie was trying to get out of the man without being direct.

He had to admit, sometimes Archie was smart. He liked those little moments. 

"That's only to be expected," Maxie laughed, afraid that if they drew this out for too long they were going to back themselves into a corner. "Stuff like that doesn't happen overnight."

"Exactly. Now, do you mind if I ask you a few more questions?"

Although they wanted nothing more than to hit the man over the head and bury him in the backyard, the men nodded. The questions had taken a shift in direction. Instead of focusing on Team Galactic, Looker had begin to ask more personal questions. It started with the event with Darkrai, asking how a novice trainer like himself had been able to take down the legendary beast. "More like scared it off," Maxie replied. From there, things were getting a little too personal for Maxie's liking. How was his Camerupt so strong? Where did he even get it? In fact, where did all of their Pokemon come from? What were their jobs like in Kanto? What were they doing now? Looker would start his questions off broad and narrow them down. Archie wasn't afraid to call him out on some of the questions, asking why they even mattered in the same tone as an elderly lady wanting to know what the cashier couldn't take her coupon that expired three years ago. 

During the questioning, Maxie was growing more and more annoyed. Part of him wanted to believe that this was all just part of the process, but another, rightfully paranoid part of him believed that there was something more underlying in the questions. Archie had been able to bounce off of his answers spectacularly and Maxie felt as though he was doing the same. Looker hadn't backed them into a corner yet, and Maxie was certainly not going to give him the chance. 

Before Looker could ask them another question, his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and politely excused himself, stepping out into the kitchen to take the call. 

There had to be a socially acceptable way to get rid of him. They could say that they had an appointment somewhere, but that could easily be tracked down and proven false. Maxie definitely didn't want to bring Ayako and Lucas into the mix either. He glanced at the clock above the television. It was getting a little late as well. Two old men didn't do anything at night other than take out the trash and watch shitty movies that had commercial breaks every ten minutes.

And Maxie had already taken out the trash.

Careful to keep an eye on him, Maxie leaned heavily into Archie. From the kitchen, it would look like he was giving his loving boyfriend a kiss on the cheek, but the reality was he kept his voice low, whispering directly in his ear. "We need to get him to leave and I think I know how. Just follow my lead, okay?"

Archie nodded, looking back at Maxie and letting out a fake laugh to make it seem like they were having a playful moment. 

Looker was still on his call when the awful sound of metal clashing against the ground filled the air. The investigator jumped, but Archie and Maxie both knew what was the source of the sound. They were quick to get up and went into the kitchen. 

"Oh Arceus almighty, Bucky's back," Maxie groaned as he looked out the screen door. He has never been so happy to see that horrible, disease ridden creature in his life. 

"I'll call you right back," Maxie heard Looker say before ending the call. "What seems to be the problem here, fellas?"

"We got a lil' bit of a pest problem," Archie explained. "A Bidoof likes to go through our trash every time we take it out."

"He's not just a Bidoof," Maxie scoffed. "He is an annoyance and a health hazard!" He threw his hand in the air for the dramatics of it all. "We have been dealing with him ever since we moved into this place and a certain someone who's name starts with "B" and ends in "ernie" keeps on saying that he's going to take care of it, but that day has yet to come."

Maxie caught the glimmer in Archie's eye. This was their chance. Who needed to hit a man upside the head when they could just create a socially unpleasant domestic situation to be in? However, the frying pan on the stove was noted, just in case. 

"Well I'm so damn sorry for having more important things to worry 'bout than some stupid Pokemon."

"Oh, how in the world could I forget? Obviously watching daytime soap operas is much more important than doing something for me for once." Maxie placed his hands on his hips very impatiently and Archie crossed his arms over his chest defensively. He looked over at the investigator, glad to see that he was completely bewildered by the situation. Perfect. "Looker, sir, I apologize for this little outburst-"

"It ain't an outburst," Archie was quick to counter. "You're just goin' on one of your stupid rants 'bout nothin' again." Now Archie's eyes were on Looker as well. "You're a detective, ain't ya? Ya outta be able to tell me why a guy who was able to scare away Darkrai can't even get rid of a stupid Bidoof on his own."

"Perhaps I want you to start pulling some weight in this household, have you ever thought about that?"

"Fellas, fellas," Looker tried to interrupt, but the fake argument continued to brew. 

"Don't even go there," Archie groaned, throwing his head back in fake frustration. "This place was in fucking shambles before I fixed it up. What were you doing? Oh yeah! You were sitting on your ass doing absolutely fucking nothing to help."

"Because you would always yell at me! Whatever I do is never good enough for you!" 

Maxie continued to glance over at Looker, completely relieved to see that even a well trained professional like himself looked utterly uncomfortable. Since they were merely having a verbal dispute in their own home, it wasn't like he could do anything about it. However, he did notice the way that Looker kept an eye on Archie, almost as if he was waiting for the man to get a little too heated.

Archie groaned and released a long exhale, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Y'know what? I ain't doin' this right now. You're completely impossible to reason with."

"That's rich coming from you." Maxie pinched the bridge of his nose. Unfortunately, he couldn't make himself cry to add to the act, but he knew that his face was red and he could sniffle just fine. That was enough to make it seem like he was holding back the waterworks. "Looker, I am really sorry that you had to witness this. If you, uh, if you would, we just need a minute to calm down and then we can carry on with the questioning. I'm certain you need more information and we will be more than happy to provide it."

"Oh! Well fellas, I actually think that I have all the info I need now," Looker said hastily. "I was actually planning on leaving after that call." Maxie could smell the bullshit from that statement, but like hell he was going to protest. "Here-" Looker reached into his pocket and handed Archie a card. The man barely glanced over it, but it looked like a normal business card with his information on it. "If you two need anything or see any trouble again, don't hesitate to give me a call. Now...I'll see myself out."

A wave of relief washed over Maxie as he watched the investigator turn on his heels and leave. Quietly, he walked over to the living room window and carefully cracked the blinds, watching as a sleek black vehicle pulled out onto the road. He let out a long, relieved sigh and slumped against the wall. His relaxation didn't last long. Before he knew it, he felt two strong arms wrap themselves around his waist and hoist him up. Maxie shouted in protest while Archie laughed loudly. 

"Pickin' a fight with me in front of a copper? Fuckin' ballsy!" Archie laughed and finally placed Maxie back on the ground. He acted as though the man weighed less than a bag of pecha berries. 

Maxie's face had turned redder and hotter from kind of liking being picked up like that, but he could think of multiple excuses to explain it just in case Archie called him out on it. It has been quite some time since a pair of strong arms has picked him up like that, after all. 

Still, Maxie looked proud of himself, like always. The man was narcissistic, after all. "Sometimes simplicity is key. Besides, we should be used to fighting with each other like that anyways." Maxie shrugged and sat on the arm of the couch. Their metal trash can continued to be assaulted outside, but since Bucky managed to get them out of this mess, he was going to let it fly this week. That didn't stop the Mightyenas from moving from their comfortable spot in the corner of the living room to stare down the Pokemon from the screen door in the kitchen. 

"Yeah..." Archie said, scratching the back of his head. Maxie quirked an eyebrow. 

"You don't sound too confident with that answer," he pointed out. 

It was a moment before Archie found the words to respond to that. 

"Well...I got to thinkin' an' we haven't really fought since we settled down in this place. I figured that we would'a been tryin' to murder each other since day one, or at the very least have a few noise complaints on our asses." He walked over and leaned on the back of the couch, bringing him close to eye level with Maxie. 

It was a strange realization to have. They have been bitter enemies for years now. Ever since Team Aqua had emerged as a rival team to Team Magma, Maxie wanted nothing more than to throw Archie into a volcano. The constant belittling, their private meetings that always ended up bloody, the never ending fighting...all of that should have carried over now that they saw each other every day. But...it didn't. 

"I suppose..." Maxie started before taking a brief pause, "perhaps we finally grew up? Compared to those children, we were very much the childish ones. May and Brendan were able to keep their composure through thick and thin, even when facing those ancient Pokemon whereas we couldn't even have a civil conversation with one another. Now...I sincerely believe that we have changed for the better thanks to those two running us out of the region."

"Eh, I don't blame the scamps for runnin' us out. I blame the otherwise useless coppers." Still, Archie could see what Maxie was trying to say. "But yeah. I'm picking up what you're throwing down. It's actually kinda...nice, talkin' to ya as an actual human bein' an' all."

"And I must admit...I have heard you tell some rather interesting stories to Lucas."

That got a grin out of Archie. "Oh? So you just pretend to read 'bout some lame ol' rocks when you're actually listening to me?"

"Oh hush. I can multitask."

"Whatever you say," Archie snickered. He had such a nice smile. Sure, he may not have the prettiest set of teeth in the world, but that smile was still enough to brighten up a room. That smile was only mere inches away from his own face. Archie shifted, causing him to lean in a little closer to Maxie. Maxie didn't back away. "You ain't so unbearable."

"The same could be said for you. It's been...peaceful. Pleasant even." He wasn't entirely for sure why, but as the words continued to escape his lips, his tone grew more hush. Cautiously, he reached a hand out and placed it on Archie's firm forearm. Archie didn't recoil. He didn't even so much as curiously look down at the hand. His eyes were fixated on something else. Once those dark blue eyes had landed on Maxie's brilliant green, neither men could look away. Maxie used to hate those eyes. Those colors were all too similar to the ocean Archie wanted to drown the world in. The same could be said for Archie. The world would have been filled with nothing but green, lively forests if Maxie had his way. Now, neither men could get enough of those colors. 

"Do you think-" Archie started, but Maxie was finished with talking. They were so close, so little effort had to be made. He was well out of practice and the cold Sinnoh air was enough to do some damage against his lips, but Maxie didn't care. He leaned in and pressed his lips against Archie's. Maxie has stolen many things from Archie over the years. Plans, grunts, documents, personal memorabilia, but never in his life would he have thought that he would ever steal a kiss from the man. Here he was though. 

Archie's lips were soft and the prickly hair on his chin sent tickling sensations across Maxie's smooth pale skin. Maxie had closed his eyes but Archie's went wide. It couldn't have been from surprise since he saw it coming from a mile away. However, he supposed that he didn't think Maxie would actually follow through. 

Not wanting to extend his stay, Maxie pulled back. It's been a while since he's kissed someone, but it's been even longer since he's kissed someone and enjoyed it. He wanted more, but he also didn't want to be a greedy bitch. He didn't even want to open his eyes, afraid to see the daggers glaring him down. 

A solid three seconds had passed before Archie pulled him back in. This time it was Maxie's turn to have his eyes snap open, but he quickly relaxed, allowing them to close once more as he felt Archie shift again. A firm hand found its way to the center of his back and Maxie wrapped his arms around Archie's broad shoulders. They leaned back a little too much. A muffled sound of protest came from Maxie as his body fell, only to be caught by the semi-soft couch cushion. How in the world did Archie sleep on this every night? No wonder the poor guy has been complaining about constantly having an aching back.

Now sandwiched between the couch and Archie, the kiss was broken, but instead of speaking, the only think the men could do was laugh. Maxie wasn't entirely for sure what had come over him, but he didn't really care. 

The Mightyenas barked as Bucky hissed at them from the screen door, but the men were a little too preoccupied to do anything to ease the Pokemons' nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!!!! Finally, after 80k+ words, it happened!!!! You're welcome. As always, feel free to leave any questions/comments/concerns in the comments or hmu on my blog authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: Archie and Maxie's first white Christmas.


	15. The Scrooge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo spends their first Christmas together c:  
> Also, warning for brief mentions of violence.  
> Yeah. I know those two things don't mix but trust me on this.

"Archie, stop being an ass and wake up!"

Archie groaned. He really didn't want to wake up. He was finally having a nice, restful sleep until Maxie had to ruin it. A pillow was slammed against his face, but that didn't help Maxie's cause. Instead, Archie took the pillow and rolled over on his side, blocking out the rest of the world by covering his face. 

"Archie!"

Maybe if he just ignored the man he would simply go away. It sounded like that was the case. He heard footsteps walk away from the couch. Good. Maybe there was hope for getting more than four hours of sleep today. Through the pillow he heard the muffled sound of a squeaky toy being played with, quickly followed by eight paws hitting the floor.

Something landed on his leg and all of a sudden two hundred pounds of added weight was pressed up against his body. He let out a loud, annoyed groan as he tossed the pillow aside and watched as the Mightyenas fought over the toy right on top of him. "Goddammit, get off!" he ordered and sat up, forcing the Mightyenas to jump off the couch and run off with the toy. 

He rubbed his face and shot a glare over at Maxie. Normally it was Archie who had a giant grin on his face while Maxie went around shooting him with annoyed glares, but this time the tables had turned. 

For the past month and a half, their relation had been...interesting. Neither of them had made any admissions to their feelings and conversations about what exactly their relationship was were avoided at all costs. Neither of them wanted the official label as "boyfriend" or "significant other." They've been enemies for years, dammit! As much as they both wanted to look forward to the future, it was really hard to forget about their pasts that lead them here to begin with. However, both of them were perfectly content with not placing a label on what they were. It allowed things to happen without feeling forced. Maxie had gotten into the habit of leaning on Archie while he read a book or watched a movie with the man. Archie had gotten into the habit of giving him a peck on the lips whenever he felt like it. Maxie, in turn, had gotten into the habit of pulling him back for more, both of them practically desperate for the human contact that they have gone so long without. It never escalated to anything more than a few very passionate kisses. When it felt like it was going to, Maxie was always the one to break it, leaving Archie feeling all hot and bothered. That sadistic prick. He still refused to let them share a bed for Arceus' sake!

Still, it has been pretty fun to hang around Maxie. When they weren't watching Lucas, they were trying to figure out what was going on with Team Galactic, bouncing ideas off of one another. He knew that Maxie was a really smart guy, but his intelligence was really starting to show based on how easily he could find believable connections and break into high security websites without leaving a cyber trail. While they were making progress, it still felt like they were standing still. 

During the past week, absolutely no progress has been made into figure out what Team Galactic wanted with Project AZOTH simply because Maxie refused to work. Instead, he spent his time shopping and putting up Christmas decorations around the house. It wasn't even for the show of acting like a normal couple either. Maxie was genuinely excited for Christmas. 

That was another thing to add to the very long list of personality differences they had. 

As much as he loved seeing Maxie's smile, right now it was absolutely insufferable. 

"Oh don't act like that," Maxie said, placing his hands on his hips like an angry mother. "You're always up at the crack of dawn but the one day where it's tradition to wake up early is the one day you want to sleep in. Absolutely unbelievable."

Laying back down would have been pointless since Maxie would have found a way to get him off the couch. Instead, Archie caved in and stood up to stretch out. "Mornin' to ya too." He yawned loudly and rubbed his face as he headed to the kitchen. Maxie looked incredibly offended and trailed right behind him. 

"What are you doing? Have you not noticed anything?"

Archie turned to look at Maxie. Nothing had changed with his appearance other than his hair was growing out again. He then peered back out to the living room and groaned at the sight. A lively fake tree stood proud off to the corner of the room, decorated with shiny ornaments, twinkling white lights, and neatly wrapped presents underneath it. Various other Christmas decorations filled the living room; stockings under the window, Santa Clauses and snowmen knick knacks were placed here and there, and Maxie had even hung a wreath in one of the empty spots on the wall. 

"Nothin' seems out of the normal." He shrugged. 

"I will happily lend you my glasses, in that case." Maxie crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Archie fix himself a cup of coffee without a single care in the world. Maxie must have been up for a while since the coffee was already brewed. "Am I seriously going to have to walk you through this?"

"Walk me through what?"

Maxie pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long exhale to prevent himself from committing a murder right here and now. Normally that reaction would make Archie grin like an idiot, but today he couldn't bring himself to find much joy in it. 

"Archie, it's Christmas. This is the one time of year where it's normal to wake up rather early. As soon as you wake up, you look at the presents under the tree, which were not there yesterday, mind you."

Archie leaned against the counter and took a long sip of his drink. He was very tempted to put a little bit of rum in it to make it through the day. "Yeah, no shit. I'm not a complete moron, Max. I know what day it is. It's hard to forget since you've been raving 'bout it all week. I just think that it's a stupid holiday." He shrugged.

For the past decade, Archie and Maxie held strong, opposing viewpoints and fought heavily due to them. However, that statement seemed to have offended Maxie more than awakening Kyogre ever could have before easing up a little bit. "You're...oh, okay. I see. You must celebrate something different. How rude of me to assume-"

"Yeah, I'm stoppin' ya right there. I don't celebrate anythin' this time of year. It's all over commercialized and hella stupid to begin with." Archie rubbed his tired face, trying his best to wake up. "I thought that you would realize by now, but eh, it's whatever. You just wasted your time thinkin' I cared."

Disbelief clearly washed over Maxie, but his expression quickly turned into one of annoyance. He blocked Archie's path when the man tried to move out of the kitchen. "So that's it, huh? Just because you think this is a stupid holiday that automatically means you get to be a scrooge and ruin the one day a year I actually look forward to celebrating."

"To be perfectly honest, up until like a week or two ago I thought we were in the same boat."

Maxie glared at him through his spare glasses. "Why else did you think I always called for a truce during the holidays?"

"I always figured your grunts started a petition or some shit or forced ya to do that." Archie's hip bumped into the counter when he backed up, trying his very best to avoid Maxie's building rage. The heat on his cheeks were not from flustered feelings this time. "Okay, okay, listen. You can celebrate your stupid Christmas as much as you want, but kindly keep me out of it, a'ight? I didn't like it when Matt and Shelly dragged me in this shit, an' you're definitely no exception."

Maxie's eyes never eased up from their harsh glare. "Fine," he spat. "Go and be a scrooge somewhere else. In fact, you can actually make yourself useful. The Pokemart is open until noon and I need a few things. Go and get them and I promise you I will not bother you for the rest of the day."

"Well, I mean ya should kinda not force me into celebratin' som-" Archie was smart enough to cut himself off when he caught sight of Maxie's murderous glare. His grip on the pen in his hand was tight and he looked like he was about to stab Archie right through the chest if he kept on being a dick. Archie was glad to see Maxie turn his attention back to writing a list. "Alright. Fine."

Once Maxie had finished writing the list, Archie took it from him and looked it over, squinting as he tried to read it. Maxie was a smart man, but his handwriting was complete shit. "What does this even say?"

"That's for you to figure out," Maxie replied and turned his back to the man, leaving the kitchen to enter the living room. When Maxie sat down on the couch, Archie caught his expression before Maxie had a chance to turn his back to him once more. That anger was gone. As he looked at all of the neatly wrapped gifts, he seemed disappointed. Dare he say sad even. Great. Now he felt guilty. 

"Max..."

"Leave."

Archie could take a hint. A very direct, no bullshit hint. With a sigh, Archie grabbed some clothes and got ready for the day. The long, dreary day. Once he looked presentable in terms of he was out of his pajamas and his scar was covered up, he opened the door and gasped. He was by no means a stranger to Sinnoh's snow since a light coating had been covering the ground for the past few weeks, but this is the first time that the snow had really amounted to anything. There had to be at least a few inches on the ground. Such a measurement was nothing for native Sinnohians, but this was practically a blizzard for someone who was born and raised in the tropical climates of Hoenn. Now Archie understood how Maxie felt on a daily basis. The weather was agonizingly cold even with his coat on. He was half tempted to go back and ignore the trip to the Pokemart, but he's already damaged the good thing he had going with Maxie. He didn't want to completely ruin it. 

Putting on a brave face, he trekked out into the snow. Every stupid Christmas special he has seen in his life always emphasized the importance of having a white Christmas, which was a stupid thing to put in the minds of the small children of Hoenn. They were never going to see the sight of snow in the region. If they did, well, the world might as well go on and end. Again. This might be Maxie's dream though, considering how enthusiastic he was for the holiday. Archie still couldn't get over that Mr. Killjoy himself liked Christmas. He didn't really like this role reversal, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it. He would find a way to make up to the man during a holiday he could stomach, like New Year's. 

He squinted at the list, trying his very best to make out the words on the paper but still coming up with little to nothing. He might have a few guesses, and if Maxie ends up mad at him then oh well. The day was already bad enough. It couldn't hurt to get worse. 

The journey from their house to the PokeMart was always a relatively short one. He just needed to go down a few streets and boom, there it was.With the heavy amount of snow on the ground, along with the overall horrible feeling Christmas gave him, the journey felt like it lasted a thousand years. From some of the windows that weren't fogged over, Archie could see brightly lit Christmas trees in the windows and movement. Kids were waking up and immediately rushing to see what they had under their trees, or some might have already finished that and were now playing with the brand new toys Santa had dropped off for them. 

That must be nice. 

Reaching the small building, he could only see one person in there and that was the unfortunate employee who was stuck working the holiday shift. The sign on the glass door said that they would only be open until noon, so the poor sap only had to tough it out for a few more hours. Archie simply nodded in acknowledgement to the lady before going to the shelves to try and find whatever Maxie had on his list. His guesses would probably be just as accurate if he put on a blindfold and wildly grabbed things from the shelves, but he at least made an attempt. It was Maxie's own damn fault for having absolutely atrocious handwriting.

As he browsed through the aisles, the guilt in his chest grew stronger and stronger the more he thought about Maxie. His feelings were incredibly conflicted, but without a doubt he really liked Maxie. He truly did. He wouldn't kiss a man he didn't like him first. Well, add sobriety into the equation as well. Matt and Shelly would bug him about celebrating the holidays with him, but they also had other friends and family they could hang out with. They would always be bummed out that they couldn't hang out with their best bro, but they got over it. That might be the reason why Matt didn't bug him about coming up. But now with Maxie...they were all each other had. Considering his enthusiasm, Archie could kind of see why Maxie was so upset with him.

Well, it was Christmas, right? Maxie had a sweet tooth to end all sweet teeth, or better yet, one to run candy companies to the ground since they wouldn't be able to keep up with production. After picking up the few items on his list that sounded right, Archie grabbed a bag of Maxie's favorite sugary treat; a bag of gummies that looked like berries but tasted like what an alien might describe a berry as tasting like. Archie couldn't stomach the stuff, but Maxie somehow liked them. 

Not wanting to make small talk with the cashier that didn't look like she wanted to be there, Archie bought the items and left. His footprints were still in the snow, so all he had to do was step in the indents. It felt like that was the safest way to go about this. He didn't want to be an idiot and slip on some ice buried under the snow or something stupid like that. 

He had a perfectly opportunity to think about a way to apologize to Maxie without really apologizing during his quiet walk back, but instead decided to take in his surroundings. The air was way too cold for his liking, the snow was way brighter than he ever thought it would be, and he has never seen the streets so dead in his life. Still, there was nothing eerie about it. Today was the best day of the year for a lot of folks, Maxie included. Archie was a grown man. A grown man who could handle his emotions, but he would be lying if he said it wasn't tough. Sometimes he just wished he could forget about everything and start completely over. Things would be way more pleasant if he just bumped his head in the right way and forgot about every aspect of his life. 

He shook those thoughts from his head. What was he doing? He was being a melodramatic bitch, that's what. He was going to go in there, apologize, and then try and make it up to Maxie by pretending this stupid holiday didn't bother him. His stride was a little more confident as he walked up to the front door, but the sound of hushed giggling caught his interest. It didn't sound like it was coming from any of the houses. No. It had to be close. He placed the bags down by the door and peered over to the side of the house. He didn't see anything, but he did see an unusual path like someone was trying to cover up their tracks. They might as well have kept the footprints there.

"Oi. Anyone over there?" he asked, cautiously approaching the side of the house. Was Maxie ready to hit him in the face with a frying pan? Archie tensed up as he looked around the corner only to find...nothing. 

"Gotcha!" Maxie's called out from behind him. He whipped his head around to look, only to be met with a ball of snow to the face. He staggered back as two voices laughed at him. He swatted the snow from his face, only to watch as Lucas gave Maxie a powerful high-five. 

"What the hell?!" he shouted, completely dumbfounded. 

"You're not allowed to be a salty Sally on Christmas, Bernie!" Lucas stated. Maxie giggled at those word choices before tossing another snowball at Archie, this time hitting his chest.

"I am not-What's even going on here?" He took cover behind the wall and knelt down, scooping the snow into his gloved hands. If it was a snowball fight Maxie wanted, then it was one he was going to get. 

"We're watching Lucas for a little while," Maxie explained, his voice growing generously closer. "And I unfortunately had to inform him that someone was being a scrooge."

"No scrooges on Christmas!" Snow crunched under his small feet as Lucas charged to Archie's hiding place. He was quick to hit Archie with a snowball, but out of self defense, Archie tossed one, hitting the kid's shoulder. Lucas laughed, but instead of ducking down to make another snowball, he ran right up to Archie and wrapped his arms around the man like he always did. Archie was taken aback for a moment before a grin spread on his face. He lifted Lucas up in a tight squeeze, causing the kid to squeal in delight. 

"I may be a lot of things, but I ain't no scrooge."

"Only scrooges are butts on Christmas," Lucas pouted. Archie shot a look over at Maxie. The man held his hands up in defense. 

"I simply told him that you weren't in the best of moods this morning," Maxie defended himself as he looked for a way to hit Archie with a snowball without getting the kid caught in the crossfire. 

"But you only have two emotions! Either you're awesome or you're a butt," Lucas countered, causing Archie to sling him over his shoulder with ease. 

"Yeah, well the only butt I see here is yours, scamp." After a moment, Archie finally let the kid back down on his feet. As soon as Lucas was safe, Maxie tossed yet another snowball at Archie, this time barely missing his face. 

If this was a war that Maxie wanted, it was one he was going to get. Quickly, Archie wadded up some snow in his hand and tossed it at the other. It exploded upon impact with his chest. Archie must have forgotten his own strength since Maxie was left rubbing the site of impact. 

And thus the war began.

Since Archie was bigger, Lucas teamed up with him, which left Maxie at a serious disadvantage. The poor man was completely pelted with snow and left shivering under his thick coat, but Archie didn't feel pity for him, especially when Maxie shoved a snowball down his shirt. The cold snow spread out over his back and there was nothing that Archie could do other than dance around in the hopes of shaking it out. It melted before that could happen. 

It was hard to say just how long the three of them spent outside, but the two men felt like they had been left out in the cold for hours, even if it may have just been half an hour or a little more than that. Lucas didn't seem too bothered by the snow, but he was getting antsy. This was Christmas! There were presents to open!

Finally, Lucas was the one to call it off since the men were too stubborn to do it themselves. "I'm going inside!" he announced. "I want to see what ya got me!"

"Don't even think about opening anything up yet!" Maxie called after him as the kid ran inside, brushing some of the snow off of his coat. "He does have a good point. I'm freezing."

Maxie was next to make his way to the door, but Archie reached out a hand to stop him. The man still looked just a little upset despite having the largest smile on his face only moments ago. "If you still want to be a drama queen, I suggest you spend the rest of the day in my room. You may have ruined this for me, but I won't let you ruin it for Lucas. Already his mother had to be called in for work after being promised the day off. I don't want you to make it any worse for him." Maxie tried to release his hand from Archie's grip, but it just wasn't going to happen. 

Archie looked down at the ground, trying to find the words to say before finally meeting Maxie's quizzical eyes. "I was being a dick this morning. This just...I have my reasons for not liking today, but that's not really a good excuse for takin' ya down with me." He paused. "Sorry."

Maxie certainly didn't look like he was expecting that to come out of Archie's mouth. He stood there, both shocked and frozen. The shock wore off faster though. He gave Archie's hand a little squeeze. "That was...a really mature thing to say. Thank you." Now it was Maxie's turn to pause. "Clearly, I have absolutely no idea what your reasonings are, but you are still welcome to hide out in my room until Lucas leaves if you want no part of this."

Archie shook his head, a soft and small smile on his lips. "Nah. I'm okay. Now, don't we have a rascal to cheer up?"

Maxie matched his smile and began pulling him back to the door. "I believe that our little snowball fight helped that. It was his idea, mind you. But of course, there was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity to throw things at you. It's a surprisingly good stress reliever despite how cold it is."

"I'm surprised you haven't frozen in place with how much snow is on ya."

"Another moment out here and I will be. Come now."

Archie grabbed the discarded bags and followed him inside. Feeling the heat from the inside was a relief to both men. They took off their coats, but Maxie immediately grabbed Archie's blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped himself in it. He needed something thicker and warmer to thaw him out, but this was good enough. Since Archie had nothing since a certain someone took his blanket, he wrapped his arms around Maxie to steal some of the warmth as they sat down. Archie planned on sitting on the couch, but Maxie dragged him to the floor. Apparently that was some stupid Christmas tradition Maxie was keen on keeping. 

Lucas was going through all of the presents under the tree. There weren't many, but he was determined to find and shake each and every one of them to try and figure out what they were. 

"I'm only allowed to open the one for me, right?" he asked, almost disappointed.

"Oh definitely not! You can open yours as well as any that have our Pokemon's names on them," Maxie answering, smiling at the sight of Lucas' well lit face. 

"Why'd ya get the Pokemon presents?" Archie whispered to Maxie. 

"They're part of the family, now aren't they?" Maxie countered. 

Of course, Lucas went for the present with his name on it. Pure joy filled his face when he unwrapped it and saw a Blue Sinnoh Ranger action figure. Maxie did pay attention to the kid's ramblings about his favorite show, after all. From there, Lucas went to the other presents. Once he opened them up, he handed them to the appropriate Pokemon. Squeaky toys for the Mightyenas, treats for the Crobats and Gligar, a Numel plush that Camerupt immediately cuddled up with, a bow the Azumarill instantly put on her tail. Weezing, Sharpedo, Muk, and Archie's B-team even got some treats, but since they weren't out of their balls Lucas just kept them under the tree. 

Finally, there was only one present left. Well, one excluding the two that Lucas had brought. He needed to save the best for last. Lucas grabbed the small box and gave the men a curious look. "Did I miss something?"

"What do you mean?" Maxie asked. 

"There's only one more present here and it doesn't say who it's going to."

"It's Bernie's present. It's hard to squeeze his name on such a small present."

"Okay...so if this is from X to Bernie, where's the gift from Bernie to X?"

And here Archie thought that Lucas was on his side. "I got him one! It's just not under the tree," Archie was quick to say and stood up.

"You didn't just grab it from the PokeMart earlier, did you?" Lucas huffed, clearly taking more offense to this than Maxie was. Maxie couldn't be upset. Seeing Archie get chewed out by a seven year old was enough of a present for him. 

"Nooooooo. I just don't believe in wrapping paper is all." Archie hoped that that excuse would be good enough, but Lucas' tough face said otherwise. Archie grabbed the bags from the door and went into the kitchen, trying his very best to get the bag of candy out without making a sound from the plastic bags. 

"You know, my mom says that it's not very nice to lie."

"Your mom's a smart lady then." And also a really annoying one. Finally, Archie strolled back into the living room, hiding the bag behind his back, only to hand it over once he was back down on the floor. Maxie didn't look thrilled, but he did look happy.

"Right when my supply was getting low. Thanks," he snickered when he caught sight of Lucas' huffy face. To help get the kid off of Archie's ass, Maxie leaned in and pressed a soft peck against his hairy cheek. "Now I believe it's time for Bernie's gift."

"Yeah, I guess so," Lucas said and handed it over. 

"Well gee, thanks." Archie really didn't want to open it since it was bound to be infinitely better than his own present. He manned up and did it anyway. Underneath the wrapping paper was a small, black box. Inside the box was a small, golden anchor attached to a matching chain.

"I know it's not much, especially compared to your last one, but when I saw it in one of the booths at the Shaymin Festival I knew I had to go on and pick it up."

Archie ran his fingers over the charm. It was small and simple, but Archie still loved it. "You know me way too well."

"Okay, it's my turn now!" Lucas announced, ruining the moment they were having as he shoved his presents to the men. Curious to see what was in the small boxes, they both opened them up to reveal a matching set of digital watches. "My mom said that they were giving those out at work and she picked those out for you guys. They're the cool ones too. They tell ya the time and how many steps you take in a day and how many calories you eat and all of that!"

Archie couldn't give a flying fuck about all of that, but Maxie looked intrigued. 

"We love them, Lucas. We'll be sure to tell you mom that when she comes to pick you up here in a little while," Maxie said, placing his in his lap for the time being.

"Awesome!" Lucas was smiling bright for one second, but the next it grew dimmer and dimmer as he adverted his gaze to the floor. Both men looked over at each other, silently asking if they knew what was up with this sudden mood shift. 

Finally, Archie was the one to break the ice. "Hey, what's up with that long face, scamp? You got us some pretty awesome gifts."

"I know. It's just..." Lucas let out a long exhale before continuing. "Can I tell you guys something? Something you can't tell my mom?"

"We ain't snitches. What's up?" Archie leaned forward a little bit and grabbed onto Lucas' wrist, pulling him closer to them. Lucas didn't protest. In fact, he was quick to nestle himself between Archie and Maxie, primarily leaning on Archie. 

"Well...this has been a really weird Christmas. I have to wait until Mom comes home before I can open the presents Santa got me and this is the first time that we're celebrating it without Dad. She's always working and Dad's not around anymore and it's not fair! Barry gets to go to the Battle Frontier and spend Christmas with his dad and Dawn's in Hearthome spending it with her family and it feels like I don't even have a mom anymore!"

Archie could kind of tell that Lucas didn't mean to rant like that, but once the words started to come out there was no stopping them. Tears pricked in the corner of his eyes but the poor kid was doing his best not to cry. 

"Lucas," Maxie started, his voice much softer than normal. "I know that all of this seems unfair, but I assure you that you're mom-"

"She thinks it's unfair too. I know that. And I know she's doing her very best but I still miss her a lot," he huffed, burying his face in Archie's shoulder. 

"Ah, come 'ere, scamp. I gotcha." Archie pulled Lucas into his lap and wrapped his strong arms around the kid. Lucas wrapped his arms around Archie's neck, holding him as if he was afraid that the man was going to leave him too. Maxie even got in on this by resting a hand on Lucas' back, carefully rubbing it to comfort him. 

"It's perfectly okay to miss her," Maxie said. Archie was thankful since he had no idea how to start a conversation like this. However, he could figure out ways to build on it. 

"I bet she misses ya too. But hey, at least you ain't stuck in an ol' boring room all by your lonesome when she's gone. You got your lil' friends and ya also go us, whether ya like it or not." Archie was so terrified of the kid crying at that statement, but thankfully, he heard a little muffled giggle. 

"Plus, how many kids can say that they spent Christmas with the guy that defeated Darkrai?" Maxie added, clearly still letting that event get to his head. Another giggle. Progress was being made.

"You guys are really cool," he mumbled. "Really cool, really strong, I'm really glad that you're my neighbors."

Archie and Maxie looked over at each other, relieved that this crisis had been adverted. Lucas just needed to get that off of his chest. Already, Archie could feel the tension in his body easing up. 

"We're glad we have ya around too, scamp. I would probably go insane if the only person I saw everyday was X."

"You've made our boring lives interesting, so say the least," Maxie added, as if they actually had boring, meaningless lives. 

Lucas sniffed, but finally removed his head from Archie's shoulder. He rubbed his eyes, clearing away all of the tears that threatened to fall and flashed the two of them a small but genuine smile to say that he was okay. 

"You guys are saps," the kid laughed. 

"Hey now. X is the sap. I'm too tough to be a sap."

"Says the man who cries every time he watches that sad Pokemon commercial." Maxie wasn't about to go down without a fight. 

Things felt right in the world once more. The Pokemon that were out of their balls enjoyed their treats. Lucas played with his toy, as well as the collection of toys that he had stashed in a bin since he continuously forgets to take things home with him. Archie put on his necklace, toying with the charm as he attempted to help Maxie figure out how to operate his new watch. Things were calm. Peaceful. For the first time in years, Archie was kind of enjoying himself on this joyous day. 

Eventually, Maxie excused himself to the kitchen. He didn't plan on making a giant meal, but he wanted to make a nice one for the special occasion. After seeing that Lucas was going to be okay by himself for a little while, Archie followed him.

Before he could say anything about his behavior, Maxie beat him to the punch. "I must say, you made quite the 180 today," he said while he placed a tray in the oven. What was in it, Archie couldn't see. 

Archie shrugged. "What can I say? It's been kinda tolerable."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Maxie grabbed a bowl of berries out from the fridge and began to cut the tops off of them. It felt like every time Lucas came over Maxie had to cut some berries. Archie couldn't figure that one out but he was just going to leave it alone. "Forgive me if I'm stepping into personal matters, but why do you hold such a sour attitude toward this holiday? You never act like this." Maxie glanced in the living room to see that Lucas was happily distracted with Gligar. Still, he kept his voice low. "I know we may not be heroes, but I also don't see us as the type of villains that would actively want to destroy Christmas."

Archie was kind of dreading that question. He sighed and nervously scratched the back of his neck. 

"Like I said, you don't have to tell me."

"No, no. I think...I think we're at that point where I can start tellin' ya some stuff. I know I'm an open book, but that don't mean I want all my pages turned."

Although Maxie had a berry and a knife in his hand, he wasn't cutting. His eyes were too fixated on Archie. Archie took a glance back in the living room as well before moving in a little closer to Maxie. "Have you ever wondered how I got my scar?"

Maxie wasn't expecting that question. "Well...I have had my thoughts. I have a few running theories but never bothered to ask."

"Was 'imitating a Sharpedo' one of those theories?"

"No..." That "no" equated to a "yes." Archie laughed a little. 

"That's one of the stories I like tellin' folks. It's a lot more my style." He took a pause. He knew the words to say, but this was always one of those stories he never liked to share. It's been years. Decades even. But his heart never truly healed. "When I was fourteen, my ma got real sick. I'll save ya from all the nitty gritty details, but needless to say, she didn't make it. The months after that were rough. Pops couldn't handle it and stayed out at sea, leavin' me and my two brothers behind more often than not. They were older than me, but they were still learnin' how the world worked. They couldn't take care of the baby brother from hell. They tried though. They really did. Ao was the oldest and tried to keep things together. Al was stuck in the middle and liked to keep things to himself. Me and Ao...we butted heads. A lot. He hated me, I'm sure of it. He tried to get his life moving and I was just an anchor keepin' him down. Our first Christmas without Ma was when things finally exploded. I can't even remember what I said. I think I made fun of his girlfriend. Somethin' stupid like that," he sighed out. Maxie reached out and placed a hand on his back. It was surprisingly comforting.

"Needless to say, we got into a fight. Full fledged fist fight. That bastard though...he has a destructive temper. Way more than mine. He pulled out his Crawdaunt an' before I could get Azumarill to back me up, I got a nasty X-Scissor to the face. I was a bloody mess. That was probably the worst pain I've ever had. I've also never been so terrified in my life." Well, the terror he experienced with Kyorge was a whole other dimension of fear. "So, I got the hint. While Ao was being scolded by his girlfriend and Al, I grabbed a towel for my face, Azumarill's Pokeball, and fucking booked it."

"Archie..."

"I know it's real stupid to carry this for all these years, but it ain't every day that ya cut all ties with your family after being beaten to a bloody pulp by your brother. So yeah. This time of year just brings up a lot of bad memories."

They both stood there in silence. Archie had said his peace and Maxie didn't really know what to say, understandably. The most he could do was rub Archie's back in a comforting manner and offer a shoulder to lean on. Archie silently took it. 

"I'm...sorry all of that happened to you."

"I ain't your fault. You were probably livin' it up with your ma and twenty dogs."

"Fifteen...but yes. I won't lie and say my Christmases were horrible to try and relate to your story. They were anything but." Archie really appreciated that honesty. "I will say that you have every right to not like this holiday. No one deserves a bad Christmas, let alone a Christmas like the one you described."

"Preachin' to the choir."

"But," Maxie continued, "we are thousands of miles from Hoenn now. We've left our pasts behind, for better or worse. It is honestly killing me not being able to contact my mom, but I at least have you."

Archie felt his heart pound a little harder against his chest at those final words. Like always, Maxie had a point. He was a grown ass man who had left his life behind to start over with everything. Christmas was no exception.

"You ain't so bad yourself, Max," he managed to laugh a little. He wrapped an arm around Maxie's shoulders to hold him close. It was kind of fun watching Maxie fight a goofy grin that threatened to spread on his lips when he was held like this. "Maybe ya can show me what I've been missin' all these years."

"It would be my pleasure," he mused. 

Archie felt a hand on his chest. Maxie never liked to be too direct with his affection, but when he was cornered like this there was no other way around it. Both men smiled at one another, but it was Archie who leaned in for the kiss. Maxie's lips tasted sweet, probably from all the candy he's been snacking on throughout the morning. 

Archie still wasn't entirely for sure what he could call their relationship, but whatever they had going on, he really liked. Maxie could be really nice when he wanted to be. Nice to talk to, nice to hold, nice to kiss...

"Ew, gross!"

Both of their eyes snapped open and then turned their attention to the child poking his head in to the kitchen. 

"Hey now. Neither of us are girls. We ain't gonna get cooties or anythin' so it ain't gross!" Archie laughed, feeling a little heat rise to his cheeks. At least he wasn't as bad as Maxie. 

"What are you talking about? Kissing's way gross!" Lucas stuck his tongue out for emphasis.

"What are you doing anyway?" Maxie asked, desperate to leave this topic. 

"I wanted to let you guys know I was going outside."

"An' why ya wanna do that, scamp? Food's cookin' and if ya stick around you might get to taste test a few things."

"But Bucky's outside and I wanna throw snowballs at him. I'll be right back!" With that, Lucas took off and left through the kitchen door. Both men looked at each other before scrambling to the door.

"Lucas, get back here!" Maxie called from the door as Archie pulled on his shoes, then threw himself out the door and into the snow with little to no cold weather protection to catch the kid before Bucky got to him first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!!!! I've been desperate to get into some backstory with these two and now my time has finally come. As always, feel free to leave any questions/comments/concerns in the comments or hmu at authorazumarill.tumblr.com! 
> 
> Next time: Don't trust friendly faces.


	16. The Lunch Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo finally go out on a date :D

As much as Maxie truly, sincerely did not want to admit it, he was becoming attached to Archie. Attracted, even. He wouldn't consider them a couple. Both have been putting off that conversation for as long as they could and Maxie certainly wasn't going to be the one to pipe up and figure out what exactly they were. It's grown very apparent that they weren't enemies anymore, but Maxie didn't want to call Archie his lover despite all of the sweet and tender moments they've had. Perhaps it is due to his own brand of stubbornness. Perhaps it is from the potential embarrassment and shame that he would face if Tabitha or Courtney ever found out he really enjoys Archie's touches, his kisses, and wanted nothing more than to take it to another level. 

These feelings that were building up in his chest were hard to deal with. The new year has came and Valentine's Day was right around the corner, so maybe, just maybe, he could swallow his pride and make the first move.

That was going to prove to be a difficult task considering that the most he could do right now was gawk at the man. 

Libraries always held a special place in his heart. They were safe havens, filled to the brim with countless hours of entertainment. He had very fond memories of the small library in his hometown of Lavaridge. While his mother would attend a knitting class the library hosted he would find a book and make it a challenge to see how far he could get through it before they had to go home. Of course, he could never leave a book unfinished, but checking out a book he didn't get far in felt shameful. His mother wouldn't have even taken up jewelry making as a hobby, then as her career, if she hadn't caught sight of a new book on display. Libraries are possibly the last places in the world where a person could go and not expect to pay money, which was an amazing commodity to a down on her luck single mother and her son who temporarily escaped the hardships of reality by submerging himself into a fictional world. 

The Canalave City Public Library was said to have all kinds of information on the myths and legends of the Sinnoh region, but like hell the duo were going to travel that far in ten degree weather. Going to Jubilife City was a chore itself, but they managed to make it work. 

Although the Jubilife City Public Library had a wider selection than the one in Lavaridge, Maxie found it rather difficult to skim through the aisles when Archie was sitting at a desk reading. Reading. That man had a book open and was actually taking the words to heart. Maxie hasn't been so strongly attracted to a person other than himself like this before. It was actually kind of scary. 

Forcing himself to focus on the task at hand, he skimmed the rest of the aisle and let out a frustrated grunt when he couldn't find a good book on the information they needed. He walked over to where Archie was sitting and leaned on his back, peering over his shoulder to read the page that had Archie so captivated. Archie merely glanced his way, as if not to lose his train of thought and his place in the book.

Although Maxie had an unnaturally low level of body heat, for once in his life he was burning up under his sweater. 

"Have you found anything interesting yet?" Maxie asked. 

"Gettin' there. These Sinnoh legends are way more intense than we thought, and since we already thought that they were intense, that just goes to show how fucking fucked things are. But not all hope is lost! It looks like there are checks and balances with these Pokemon, kinda like how Rayquaza kept Kyogre and Groudon under control. It's just there's a lot more. Lake guardians, dimensional travel, fucking god and Giratina itself. We had it fucking easy compared to these idiots," he whispered, only for Maxie to shush him.

"Not so loud."

"I'm fuckin' whispering and there ain't a soul around us. We're okay. Everyone's too distracted with the tykes runnin' around in the kids area to care about us." Archie merely waved off. "These fuckers didn't learn from our mistakes."

"That simply goes without saying." Maxie moved over to the chair and sat down beside him, still leaning over to read along with Archie. 

There was a moment of silence, but that was ruined when Archie had to open that remorseful mouth of his. "This plan shouldn't've even popped into either of our heads to begin with. What even happened to our humanity?"

Not wanting to answer the question outright, Maxie sighed out and placed a hand over top of Archie's. "It is behind us now. There is no need to dwell in the past more than we have. The most we can do right now is see to not allowing something like this from happening again."

Not able to come up with a decent comeback, Archie nodded. 

During the days of their height, Maxie didn't know that Archie's true intentions was to kill off most of the world. He sincerely believed that the man was as clueless about Kyorge as he was with Groudon. Even Maxie knew that people were going to lose their lives, but it was a small price to pay for a better world. However, he had never taken mass extinction into account. He was foolish to believe he could control Groudon's powers. He was even more foolish to even consider doing it again right after his downfall. His team, wherever they may be now, his mother, Ayako and Lucas, Archie...all of them would be lost all due to his selfishness. He didn't notice he was squeezing Archie's hand tighter than before. 

"What's goin' on in that head of yours?"

Maxie blinked back to reality, noting Archie's eyes on him. "Oh...nothing of importance. My mind was trying to connect the dots when a few of the dots don't even exist yet." He patted Archie's arm with his free hand to assure him that nothing was wrong. Archie didn't press it further, thankfully. "Perhaps we should broaden our horizons? Groudon wasn't found through literature alone. Maybe we should visit a lake that these legends keep on talking about? Or maybe even Mt. Coronet?"

Maxie knew that he lost Archie after the mentions of a lake. It's been a long while since the man has seen a body of water other than to small stream off on the edge of Floaroma. If it was for the sake of research, the Maxie wouldn't mind visiting one of the lakes a legendary Pokemon was rumored to reside in. He hated water with a burning passion, but he knew that Archie wouldn't let him drown. He actually wouldn't mind being wrapped in the man's strong arms again, but there are better means of going about it. Drowning wasn't fun. Maxie didn't want to have to go through it more times than he had to. 

"Y'know, I really like the sound of that. I bet Sharpedo's been gettin' real cramped in his ball, along with my B-team. I don't think they would be able to stand the water for long though. It's still fucking cold enough for everything to be frozen."

"Not to mention snowy." The bottoms of his pants legs were still soggy from being dragged through five inches of snow in order to get out of Floaroma. In this kind of weather, the Crobats refused to fly. The temperatures were cold, but they were bound to only be colder higher in the sky. Heat rises, sure, but it can't rise if it doesn't exist in this winter wasteland. "We should have picked a warmer region," he mumbled. 

"You were the one to pick it out. Kalos was an option."

"I suppose that Sinnoh was the poison that tasted less bitter." If it hadn't been for the longer journey on the water, Maxie would have picked Kalos in a heartbeat. "Kalos is much nicer if you ask me. But then again, I have to recognize my biases because I'm half Kalosian."

"No shit," Archie laughed, pretty amused at this finding. "I never would'a guessed."

"And what do you mean by that?" he asked, pretending to be offended but Archie could easily see through his rouse. 

"Well, I mean, y'know the stereotypes. Kalosians are suave motherfuckers. No offense or nothin', but you don't got a suave bone in your body. Too nerdy for that." 

Now Maxie was actually kind of offended. "Oh please."

"Just callin' it like I see it."

"Well, I'll have you know that you are most certainly wrong. I can run with the most charming men in Kalos."

Archie snorted and Maxie shot him a glare. "You can run the race but that doesn't mean you'll win. Every race has to have someone to finish last."

"Finish last?!" Maxie repeated with shock. The nerve. The audacity! Who was he to sit there and call the great Maxie a nerd? "You are going to eat those words."

"Oh really? How ya plan on doin' that?" Archie's face grew more smug every time Maxie's face turned a new shade of red. 

"With a date, of course," Maxie said without really thinking about his words. "Once we finish up here, I will treat you to the best lunch you have ever had. My treat."

"Well damn, how can I pass up that offer? You're on. Prove me wrong, Max."

"I most certainly will," he scoffed. He grabbed one of the discarded books and stood up with it, his mind going into autopilot mode as he marched back over to the shelves to put it in its proper place. Of course, he didn't realize that he went into the wrong aisle until he started to look for the call number. Only then did he realize what he was doing. 

He just asked Archie out on a date. 

When that realization hit, he had to reach out and hold onto one of the shelves to keep his balance. What in the world was he thinking?! He was all bark and no bite and he knew it too. It wasn't like he knew how to conduct a proper date either. All of the dates he's been on in his life always ended up going horribly. But then again, the majority of those dates involved the same person and that person was far from being Prince Charming. He should have listened to his mother, but no, the teenage rebellion just had to hit him hard now didn't it? 

But then another thought crossed his head. Archie agreed to it. Then again, that man was a slut for food and seeing Maxie fumble around. No wonder he agreed to this. 

Focus, Maxie, focus. The key to a good date was bullshitting it. If he could figure out a general list of things that Archie liked, then he could work from there. He liked water and he liked food, so surely a seafood place would be a good place to go, right? But then again, Archie practically lived on seafood for the majority of his life. Surely he would want some variety. That narrows down the list. The more he thought about it, the more his mind was blanking on restaurants in the area.

His eyes scanned the shelf, and finally a book on Unovian legends made him remember that they have been meaning to go to that new(ish) Unovian restaurant since Halloween. The extra money they got from babysitting three kids instead went to buying heavier and warmer clothes. Plus, with the drop in temperatures they haven't left Floaroma unless absolutely necessary, like today since they needed to pick up the pace on figuring out what Team Galactic was up to. 

A date couldn't just be a lunch though. There had to be more to it, but Maxie didn't have a damn idea on what to do. Maybe he could pry out some information during lunch? That seemed like the best idea he had right now. 

Maxie placed the book back in its proper spot and returned back to Archie's side. He had absolutely no right looking as smug as he did. The full beard he grew out over the winter certainly didn't help matters. 

"Looks like someone's eager to go," he snickered. Maxie crossed his arms defensively over his chest. 

"We still have work to do here, mind you. Have you found anything else of interest?"

"Nope, and chances are I ain't gonna find anything I don't already know. Everything just has the same story over and over again. Dialga and Palkia live in different dimensions, the guardians of the lakes keep those dimensions from opening, yadda yadda. It's interesting shit, but every book has it and doesn't offer anything else." Archie closed the book he was reading and scooted it over to the other few they had pulled off the shelf. "It's been a long morning. I'm ready to grab some lunch. If we really need to, we can just come back here afterwards, right?"

"I suppose so, yes." Come to think of it, Maxie has always fantasized about having a library date. And Archie definitely did look really hot with his nose in that book. Maxie can work with this. 

"Then let's go. I'm ready for some good grub. Ya better have a good place picked out." Archie stood up and took the books into his arms. Instead of trying to shelf them, he did the easier thing to do and placed them on a cart riddled with other books that people had taken off the shelves and decided against checking them out. Maxie was all for checking them out, but the less of a paper trail Xavier and Bernie had, the better. The last thing he wanted was for their library accounts to be linked back to ecoterrorists Archie Aogiri and Maxie Matsubusa, if it was even possible for that to happen to begin with. He didn't want to take any chances. 

Once Archie's hands were free, Maxie was quick to intertwine their fingers. They were still playing up the part of the lovestruck couple, but as of recently, their acts of affection have felt more genuine. Maxie knew he held feelings for Archie and he felt as though Archie felt the same way. Although they have been comfortable showing affection with one another, both men were too stubborn to outright admit it and initiate that conversation. 

Upon leaving the library, they were met with chilly winter air. Snow was piled up on the side of the streets, but a thin layer of powder still laid on the sidewalk. Maxie threw on the hood to his coat and pressed himself up against Archie, determined to steal some of his warmth. He knew there was something horribly wrong with the regulation of his body heat since he was more than happy to wear turtlenecks and coats in an active volcano. Being thrown into a freezing winter was his ultimate hell. It was kind of humorous that his hell literally was frozen over. 

"So which way we headin', Mr. Suave?"

"Call me that again and I'll wait until we're in the middle of our meal to tell you I'm headed to the restroom when in reality I'm going home," he grumbled. He truly did not want to take his hands out of his pockets, but he needed to see the directions. He quickly found them on his PokeNav and took a moment to memorize the route so that way he wouldn't have to take his hands out of his pockets again. "Okay. Head left." He wasn't about to take the lead since that would mean leaving the warmth of Archie's side. Instead, he gave the man a nudge in the right direction. 

Both men were eager to get back into a place of warmth. After their twenty minute walk to the restaurant, Maxie was shivering. Unovian restaurants were known for being obnoxiously loud and having large portioned meals at cheap prices. So far the obnoxiously loud part proved to be true. As soon as they stepped in, they were met with loud rock music, people chattering and laughing in the booths, fifty televisions playing fifty different sports games from various regions, and the hostesses getting a little too into their gossip session. Maxie was willing to overlook all of that since the food smelled good and their heaters were working.

"Never thought ya would finally drag me to this place!" Archie laughed. 

"You have been wanting to come here for a while." Maxie would have grinned up at him, but his face felt too frozen to move. His entire body felt too frozen to move. 

A hostess broke from the gossip party and escorted the men to a free table near the bar. Although there was a crowd, many people were at work during this time of day on a weekday. She handed them menus, asked for their drink orders and wrote down a margarita and a rawst berry daiquiri for Archie and Maxie respectively, then let them have some time with their menus. Both men felt confident enough in their abilities to hold their drinks to have them at lunch time. They would need something to make it through the rest of their day of research, anyway. 

Archie looked even more keen on reading the menu than he did the book about legendaries. Maxie, on the other hand, has never been a fan of Unovian cuisine. He only ever ordered it for special Team Magma occasions since he was able to get a lot of food for cheap. Even ecoterrorist organizations needed to stick to a budget. 

When the waitress came back with their drinks, both men were ready to order. Maxie ordered one of the small sandwiches while Archie went all out with the Bouffalant burger and fries. The picture on the menu showed a massive, juicy burger topped to the brim with all the helpings. A normal man wouldn't be able to finish all of that, but Maxie also knew that Archie was a weirdo and anything but normal. 

Once the waitress had left, Maxie took a sip of his drink, extremely glad to have a little something to ease his building nerves. Sure, the drink was more berry than it was alcohol, but it still helped. 

"I gotta say, you're already off to a good start with this 'date' business. Unovians really know their way 'round food." Archie smiled a little too fondly for Maxie's liking. To prevent a stupid grin from spreading across his face, Maxie pressed his glass to his lips once more until he felt like he could keep his composure. 

Honestly, this was exciting. It's been a long while since he's been on a good date. He never would have thought that he would ever go out on a date with Archie of all people, but by now he should have seen it coming. They've kissed multiple times at this point. They have grown affectionate of one another. Maxie couldn't think of a better person to run away with. 

Maxie loved Archie.

He loved Archie, but like hell he was going to admit it. Maxie knew that those same feelings were bubbling up in Archie's chest or else he wouldn't be carrying on like this. Maxie refused to be the first one to break and face all of the relentless taunts that came from admitting it. 

"I'm not in love with the food, but I also don't hate it. I'm more of a fan of lighter meals."

"Obviously so," Archie snickered. "But hey, I can't complain. That just means more food for me."

Maxie rolled his eyes but still shot a playful smirk in his direction. He gently nudged Archie's foot under the table and Archie was quick to nudge back. 

Simple chit chat filled the air between the two while they waited for their food. They had gotten to the point where they could talk about almost anything under the sun and be amused with the other's words. Maxie wasn't even convinced that he even cared for Archie's stories. Rather, he really enjoyed hearing the man's voice. It was rough and jagged, but not malicious. At least, not anymore. 

Finally, their food arrived and Maxie's meal looked like a kid's meal compared to Archie's. Archie's eyes lit up upon the sight and Maxie couldn't help but grimace. His stomach hurt just looking at it. 

"Did they use the whole fucking Pokemon to make that?" he asked in disgusted awe. 

"Probably!" Archie laughed. His mouth wasn't even larger enough to get a good bite out of it. He had to squash it down for the height of it to fit. Archie hummed in delight as he chewed while Maxie had to turn his head to not get too grossed out. His simple sandwich looked good, but his appetite was hard to find now. Still, he didn't want Archie saying anything and found enough room in his stomach to eat. 

Between Archie shoving his face full of food and Maxie trying to keep his food in his stomach, the two didn't talk that much while they ate. It was a pleasant, comfortable silence. 

What wasn't pleasant and comfortable was watching Archie eat that burger like it was the same size as Maxie's sandwich. Maxie had only a few bites left but decided he was too full to finish it but Archie was clearly on a whole other level. That burger was gone and he still had room to pick at his fries. He laughed at Maxie's very disturbed looking face. 

"Impressed?"

"I mean...yes. Impressed in the worst sense of the word." Maxie felt his foot being nudged again and couldn't help but let a smile tug on the corner of his lips. "I take it as you liked it?"

"Definitely. Unovians know how to full a man up! I mean, I gotta admit, going out for good food like this is great. We ain't chefs."

"Amen to that." Maxie pressed the glass to his lips once more, finishing off the remainder of his drink. "Despite how...interesting it is to watch you each a large meal, I must say you make an excellent date."

"Same goes to ya. I don't gotta worry 'bout haulin' your drunk ass home since you're smart enough to handle yourself. Plus, your company's pretty nice."

Since he was out of his drink, Maxie didn't have anything he could use to cover up his stupid smile. 

Before Maxie could attempt to flirt and make a fool of himself by failing miserably, the waitress came over and placed their bill on Archie's side of the table. He was amused but Maxie was insulted.

"Don't say it," he warned as he grabbed the bill.

"Say what? That I'm the to-"

"Yes, don't finish that," he grumbled and took out enough money to cover the bill as well as a tip and placed it at the end of the table. Before Archie could drag the conversation on, Maxie was quick to change the topic. "Are you ready to go? You wanted to go back to the library, correct?"

Archie still looked amused. "Yeah. We already know the legends an' shit, but there were also a few other books that caught my interest that I wanted to check out."

That had to be the sexiest thing Maxie has ever heard Archie say. 

"I would love to see what they are," he said, maybe a little too enthusiastically as he slid out of the booth. Archie was right behind him and grabbed on to his hand. 

Maxie's smile was quick to leave his face once he was blasted with the cold winter air. Once again, he buried himself against Archie's side and threw on the hood to his coat. 

"Why do I gotta be your heater?"

"Because you have plenty of heat to share."

"I really don't."

"Too bad."

As they walked, a car pulled over to the sidewalk a few feet in front of them. It was a normal, mundane thing that was only expected to happen, but the passenger's side window rolled down when they strolled next to it. Maxie planned on continuing his walk, but a familiar, smiling face called out their names. 

"Xavier! Bernie! Hi!" Ayako giggled as she got their attention. The duo ducked down and peered through the window space. Ayako was in her normal scrubs, but this didn't look like the car she normally drove. It was much nicer. Cleaner too.

"Ayako? Fancy meeting you here," Maxie said. He really wanted to cut the small talk, say his goodbyes, and then get to some place warm. The heater blasting in the car was taunting him. 

"I know, right? I was on my way to lunch when I noticed Bernie here, so I thought I would say hi. But, it's also really cold outside, as you two probably know," she giggled. "Where are you two headed? I could give you a ride."

Similar to how Archie's face lit up when he saw that magnificent burger, Maxie's face lit up at the talks of getting to ride in a warm car. "Really? We're going to the library, but if that is too out of your way we completely understand."

"Oh what? That's not too far at all! It's actually on my route, so I can just drop you two off easy peasy."

Archie and Maxie exchanged looks before Maxie eagerly threw open the passenger side door, sticking Archie in the back. He could practically melt in this warmth. It was heavenly. 

"Thank you so much."

"Yeah. I don't think either of us would'a lasted much longer in the snow."

"It's not a problem at all!" she said, her voice much chipper than normal. Maxie always saw a bit of his mother in Ayako. A single mother full of nothing but nerves. Her voice was known to waver at least once a conversation. Right here and now, Ayako didn't seem like that her nervous self. Maxie didn't want to see it as a bad thing. He just thought that it was a little strange. 

"I guess that you've been having a good day at work, huh?" he asked to keep up the conversation since Archie liked playing with Lucas more than he liked talking to his mom. 

"You have no idea! Things are really starting to look up, you know? I thought that this was going to end up being an awful, dead end job, but my boss told me that I'm really close to getting a promotion. That means I'll get a raise and I can spend some more time with Lucas."

"That's great! I'm sure that Lucas will love that news."

"Maybe. He might be a little sad since he really likes you two, but I know he's been dying to spend some time with me. This is good. This promotion will be for the best."

Maxie could see Archie giving her a strange look from the rear view mirror. 

"I'll admit, I will miss having the little guy around so much, but he needs to be with you more than he needs to be with us. What kind of position will you have if you get the promotion?" Maxie asked, hoping that the conversation will turn a little less weird, 

"Oh, I'll definitely get the position. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

"Okay..."

"Ayako, are ya feelin' okay?" Archie asked from the back. 

"Yes!" She answered a little too quickly. "I'm feeling just fine. I'm just on this high of excitement, you know? I bet that I'll have my promotion before the day is over with."

"That's...great," Maxie said, still trying to be enthusiastic about this. He looked out the window and saw them pass the drive that led to the library. Maxie's fingers gripped the door. "Uh, Ayako...you must have been so excited that you passed the library."

"I did?" she glanced over at him and then back to the road. "That's completely my bad! I'm so sorry. It'll be a hot second before I can get turned around, and there's a store up ahead that I need to make a quick stop in anyway. Would you care if I run in there real quick? I can get my car turned around real easily in that parking lot."

"Actually, you can pull over and we can walk the rest of the way. We don't mind." Archie placed a hand on Maxie's shoulder, seeming to share the same anxious thoughts about Ayako. 

"There's no need for that. I'll just get this thing turned around here in a minute."

"That's quite alright. Really, we don't mind walking. We are all warmed up now," Maxie tried to reason.

"Be patient, you two. We're almost there."

"Ayako, pull over and let us out right now." Archie ordered, his voice booming in the car. Ayako's grip on the steering wheel tightened to the point her knuckles were turning white. The smile on her face was gone. Instead she looked like she was ready to break down in tears. Or that could just be her normal expression.

"I'm sorry..." she said after a long, uncomfortable pause. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. My promotion is riding on this."

Archie's grip on Maxie's shoulder tightened. Maxie's eyes went from her to the emergency brake and back to her. Things were weird but now Maxie was really sensing danger in the air. 

"Ayako...what are you talking about?" Maxie asked slowly. 

"I just want Lucas to be safe." Tears were beginning to roll down her cheeks. "I need this money. I need the protection."

She was rambling. Maxie made a quick grab for the emergency brake, only for Ayako to swerve, causing him to jerk to the side. A car behind them honked, but Ayako didn't seem fazed by it. She grabbed a Pokeball from her pocket, but Archie grabbed her wrist in an attempt to stop her from opening it. 

It did not work. 

Maxie did not know what he was expecting, but a simple Budew was not on his list. It landed in his lap, already looking terrified. While Archie was fighting Ayako, Maxie pulled the brake, forcing everyone to jerk forward. The car still continued to move forward, but at a much slower rate. 

"Budew, help!" Ayako shrieked. 

"Oh no you don't!" Maxie grabbed onto the Pokemon, but before he could do anything worthwhile, the top portion of the Pokemon's head uncurled and out came a puff of green powder. The substance hit Maxie's face directly and already he could feel his eyes grow heavy and his mind grow tired. 

It was sleep powder. 

His body was quickly shutting down. He leaned back in his seat, unable to do anything but watch as the Pokemon hit Archie in the face with the same attack. Archie's grip on the woman loosened and Ayako pushed him in the back and away from her. She covered her mouth and nose with the collar of her shirt just to make sure that she didn't get any of the residual affects of the powder. 

"I am so sorry. You two seem like really good people, but I can't go against Master Cyrus."

Master Cyrus?

Maxie could not think. He couldn't move. He could not speak. All he could do was close his eyes one final time. 

With tears still streaming down her face, Ayako pushed the emergency break back to its normal spot and pulled back onto the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:3c ya'll fucking thought this was gonna be a sweet and innocent chapter now didn't ya?
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading! As always, feel free to leave any questions/comments/concerns in the comments below or hmu at authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: Team Galactic's request.


	17. The Plans of a New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new leader takes charge.

The lights in the room were blinding. Archie's tired eyes blinked a few times, but it was still too painful to look around the room with wide eyes. Squinted eyes proved to be his best friend until his vision fully returned to him. His mind was foggy, so trying to make anything out in the room proved to be a difficult task. He groaned and blinked again, this time his vision finding its way back to him through the glare of the lights. It looked like an office. Light grey walls amplified the lights, or at least they did to his tired, still adjusting eyes. On the walls were banners with the yellow "G" insignia. Before him was a large and neatly organized desk. 

Archie tried to move. Maybe rubbing a hand against his head would help him wake up. When he tried, he found that he couldn't. His wrists were locked into the the arms of the chair he was sitting in. When he tried to move his feet, he found his ankles were in the same situation. 

At least the sudden rush of adrenaline helped wake him up. 

He looked over to his side only to find that Maxie was in the same situation as he was, only a little more unconscious. His head was lolled to the side, indicating he was still down for the count. Archie grit his teeth and tried to break out of his bindings from brute force alone, but that didn't look like it was going to be happening any time soon. 

Fury was building up in his body as he looked around the empty room. The only other soul in here with him was Maxie. If Team Galactic went through all of this trouble to nab the, then where the fuck were they?

"Maxie!" Archie called out in a loud whisper, hoping that his voice would allow the man to come to his senses. It did not. Since he was a much smaller guy compared to Archie that sleep powder must have really taken its toll on him. 

Archie wasn't scared. Uneasy? Maybe. But not scared. That uneasiness grew as the minutes slowly passed by. The only noises being made in the room were from his own struggles. He needed to get out. He needed to get Maxie out. He needed to get Lucas away from Ayako. From there, he had no idea what he would do so he could only hope that Maxie was conscious and able to form a plan. 

Speaking of, a groan left Maxie's lips and Archie's eyes immediately darted over to him. His head was thrown back before it shifted upright. His eyes slowly blinked back into the world of the living, looking as pained as Archie felt earlier. 

"Maxie!" Archie called out again, this time getting a response to his word.

"Archie?" Maxie mumbled softly. He turned his head to face the man but his focus was still coming back to him. What little focus he had was shifted to look down at his wrists when he made the same attempt to move them, only to be met with the same results Archie faced. 

"Yeah, good fuckin' luck. Welcome back to the land of the living. Things are confusing as all hell and this fucking sucks."

Maxie groaned again and blinked a few times, forcing his eyes to come back in focus. "What in the world...?" It took Maxie a moment to regain his senses and Archie could see the split moment when the panic set in. Maxie moved his wrists against the arms of the chair more viciously, but both of them knew they couldn't brute force their way out of whatever metal cuffs kept them restrained. "How long have you been awake? Do you even know where we are?"

"Probably not as long as I think it's been. I don't have a damn clue 'bout where we are either, but I have a sneaking suspicion that we're in Galactic territory."

Once Maxie finally caught sight of the yellow insignia on the walls, he sneered in disgust the same way he would upon seeing the Aqua insignia. "I wonder how you obtained that conclusion," he huffed, his shoulders finally slumping in defeat. "I have never felt so betrayed in my life. Ayako...surely there must have been signs that I missed. My personal bias literally walked us into her trap."

Archie wanted nothing more than to wrap his arm around Maxie's shoulders in a form of comfort, but his hands were tied. Literally. "If it makes ya feel any better, I didn't notice anythin' wrong with her either."

"It honestly doesn't make me feel better."

"Just tryin' to help. Geez."

"You can help by breaking out of these cuffs. As of now, I'm not fond of the idea of sitting around here, talking about our feelings as we await our potential untimely demise. I would much rather get out of here."

Did stress make Maxie insufferable? Probably. "Well damn. Never would'a thought about that if you and your fuckin' genius mind didn't bring it up," Archie scoffed. 

"Now is the absolute worse time for you to get an attitude with me," Maxie spat. 

"Are you fucking serious? I don't need you being an asshole right now either, but here we fucking are."

"Fuck off."

"Fuck you."

"Gentlemen."

Both of their heads whipped around to the sound of the new voice coming off from the side. A man of average stature appeared in the now closed doorway. His icy blue eyes were cold and vacant. Light blue hair stood up in every direction, looking like it hasn't been brushed ever since his mother stopped doing it for him. His silver outfit looked similar to the ones they have seen the grunts wear, but the alterations were enough to tell them he must be higher up the Galactic chain. 

"It is honestly about time that you two woke up. I was sure that the effects from a small Budew's sleep powder wouldn't be as strong as they were, but here we are," he stated as he walked over to the desk. His strides were slow but confident, only stopping when he stood in front of the desk, covering the golden "G." He leaned back, placing his palms on the edge of the desk. "I must admit, I sometimes forget how strong the capabilities of even the weakest Pokemon are."

"Absolutely heartbreaking," Maxie sneered. "But I am sure that you kidnapped us for better reasons than to simply use us as a captive audience to whatever fucked up therapy session you need."

The man's face was stone cold. There wasn't even so much as a twitch in response to those harsh words. The only thing that shifted was the direction of his unsettling gaze, allowing Maxie to be the center of it. 

"Who the fuck are you anyway?" Archie grunted. Now he was on the receiving end of that gaze. Archie has never been an easily shaken man. He was always ready to face the toughest of opponents head on without an ounce of fear. However, there was something in those icy eyes that made his stomach twist. They almost reminded him of those blue eyes he saw right before he was placed in such a nightmarish state. 

"I have done an excellent job of keeping my name and face out of the headlines, now haven't I? I must be honest, although I do respect your work, you two did have a few leadership tactics that needed to be fixed."

Archie's stomach twisted again. He knew from the very beginning that this guy wasn't after Bernie and Xavier, but it was still nerve wracking to hear those implications. Not only that, but this man has been humiliating them. Archie clenched the arm of the chair and grit his teeth. Why did his restraints have to be so strong? "That didn't answer the fucking question."

"I don't care. However, this introduction will come sooner or later. My name is Cyrus Akagi, the leader of Team Galactic. There is also no need for introductions on your part, Bernie Cortez and Xavier Manchester. Or perhaps we should throw those identities out now that they will no longer be useful to you, Archie Aogiri and Maxie Mastubusa. Yes. I do believe that would be best." One of Cyrus's hands moved to allow his fingers to drum against the metal of the desk. 

"Now I suppose the next question that was getting ready to come out of one of your mouths is to why you are here and not continuing your peaceful life in Floaroma Town, a town so far far away from the region you exiled yourselves from. My answer is simple. Despite your short falls, both of you were successful in finding and awakening two separate ancient Pokemon. Such skill is admirable. In a way, I was rooting for at least one of you to succeed in your goal."

Cyrus pushed himself from his desk and slowly circled around the two. Maxie's eyes followed him but Archie's did not. "But, we all know how that turned out. Now your names are forever tarnished. Team Aqua and Team Magma have not only been dismantled, but your legacy has been turned into a laughing stock. A group of anarchic pirates and a demon cult tried to control the ancient beasts Kyogre and Groudon. Late night talk show hosts have had a field day with you."

"As if we weren't already aware of how badly we fucked up, now we have been kidnapped just to hear it some more. Lovely," Maxie groaned.

"However," Cyrus continued as if he didn't hear Maxie's complaints. "I believe that such treatment is unjustified. Your brilliance needed to be praised rather than ridiculed, and that's exactly why you are here with me now."

Even though Archie has dealt with Maxie's Magma bullshit for around a decade, he still wasn't all that fluent in crazy talk. "The fuck are ya tryin' to say?"

A puff of an exhale left through Cyrus's nostrils as he stood in front of his desk again. That must have been the subtle way of dealing with whatever frustrations he had in his emotionless body. "Twice my commanders have met you and twice they have failed to bring you to me. Mars's ambush during the Shaymin Festival lacked everything I wanted to see in a mission. I should have expected as much considering it was her first mission as commander. Your meeting with Charon was purely coincidental, but a missed opportunity nonetheless. I should have known from the start that if I wanted to have a meeting with you two I was going to have to stoop to lower levels."

"You call this a fuckin' meeting?" Archie spat, taking a brief glance toward Maxie only to see his face was growing red with fury.

"So you had someone earn our trust just for this moment to happen?" Maxie inquired. "How did you even locate us to begin with?"

"It is a little thing called transparency," Cyrus explained evenly. "Certain members of Team Galactic are assigned permanent undercover positions. Every hotel has a receptionist. Single motherhood is a common method of parenting nowadays. You would know something about that, now wouldn't you Maxie?"

Maxie tightened his fists and jerked at the restraints. "What the hell do you want, Cyrus?"

For the first time since their meeting, his lips tugged upward. Archie wouldn't dare call it a smile though. If anything it was like a muscle contraction. "Simple. You two failed in your attempts to harness the powers of two legendary Pokemon, so what I'm offering you is a second chance. You two will join Team Galactic and aid me in my goals to summon the legendary Pokemon of time and space, Dialga and Palkia. I know they do not possess the same powers of Kyogre and Groudon, but our goals will be reached nonetheless."

A flash of heavy rain beating down against the raging ocean crossed Archie's mind. Kyorge wasn't visible, but the brilliant light coursing through its skins illuminated one otherwise dark patch of water. Kyogre was close. The end of the world was close. 

No. This couldn't happen again. 

"Like fucking hell we'll join the ranks of your spacemen!" Archie barked. "We failed for a fucking reason. Our plans were as stupid as all hell. Kyogre and Groudon weren't gonna give us our utopias. They were gonna end the world!"

"I am very well aware of that," Cyrus replied coolly. "But I do not think your plan was stupid for the same reason you think it was. Gentlemen, you were being much too generous in your goals. Groudon and Kyogre would have allowed the world to start anew, but why stop there?" 

Archie could feel his heart pound against his chest. He didn't realize he was holding his breath. 

"There are worlds beyond our own. Worlds beyond our knowledge. If the world is to begin anew, then it is only logical to allow the universe itself to have a new beginning. This would be a universal clean slate, if you will. A clean, beautiful, blank slate. From this blank slate, the world will be ridden of all the annoyances it currently faces. It will be emotionless. Thus, it will be perfect."

Archie caught the sight of the nervous glance Maxie shot at him. "That is absolutely ludicrous!" Maxie said after the heavy silence in the air got the better of him. "The goal with Groudon-"

"Was to better humanity, yes," he interrupted, "I am well aware. Expanding the land mass would have provided more land for food to grow, people to migrate out of overcrowded cities, so forth and so on. But my plan holds more similarities with yours than you realize. A new slate brings new beginnings. Humanity can be molded into perfection if it is flattened out into a pure slab. You know what I'm talking about, don't you, Archie?" His icy glare found its way to Archie again. This time, Cyrus took a few steps closer to the man. Archie wanted nothing more than to advert his gaze, but like hell he was going to show this man any form of cowardice. "There was also overlap in our plans as well. Cleansing the world of its sins. Allowing the world to be pure once more. The only difference about our plans are the means in which it is going to happen."

Cyrus leaned on closer to meet Archie eye to eye. "I know how much you despise humanity. The world was so pure and free until humans started fucking everything up. Your plan was admirable. Inspiring even. You are much more influential than you realize, Archie."

Archie's knuckles were white. He was doing everything in his power to prevent himself from shaking from anger and fear. "Fuck. Off." His words were slow. Deep, slow, and heavy. It was impossible to say what was going on inside of Cyrus's mind. His face was expressionless as he straightened himself up.

"Gentlemen, I knew I was no going to be met with open arms, but I sincerely hoped that you would have been a little more open minded. I am never one for being cruel for the sake of being cruel. However, sometimes a little motivation is necessary to get the ball rolling." 

For the first time since his entrance, Cyrus took a step behind the desk and pulled out two Pokeballs. A crack right above the central button indicated that one of them was Sharpedo's Pokeball. 

"Maxie, Camerupts are essentially walking volcanoes, correct?" Cyrus turned to him but didn't wait for a response. "However, instead of staying stagnant they need to continue moving. Not only that, but cold temperatures allow the magma in their bodies to harden, therefore forcing their bodies to shut down."

"And Archie," Archie felt his stomach drop, "Sharpedos can only survive in a Goldilocks zone of water temperature, yes? Anything too cold will freeze them and anything too hot will boil them alive."

Taking a Pokeball in each hand, Cyrus pressed the center buttons, only for the bottom of the balls to unhinge. Nothing popped out. Archie didn't know if he had a stronger urge to punch this man or throw up. "I will be sure that nothing happens to your prized Pokemon so long as you do not do anything to force my hand. The same can be said for the rest of your teams."

Archie turned to look at Maxie. Both men were trying their hardest to stay strong, but there was pain tucked away in their eyes. Ending humanity to save a handful of Pokemon was selfish indeed, but both men were smarter than that. They knew that no matter what they did, they were under Cyrus's control. Between him and the army of grunts he was bound to have, neither men had a choice. They could either work for this man or die after watching him torture their Pokemon. 

They couldn't take Team Galactic down if they were dead.

Both men understood this. Despite the pain they felt, they knew it was only a small burden to bear. If this was the universe's way of making them repent for their past mistakes then it certainly had a cruel sense of humor. 

"You have made your point crystal clear," Maxie grumbled, reluctantly turning back the Galactic boss. "Stay true to your word and I will aide you."

"I guess I will too," Archie mumbled.

"Good. I will have the grunts get you out of those restraints here in a moment." Cyrus placed the Pokeballs back in his desk and clasped his hands behind his back. 

"Gentlemen, welcome to Team Galactic."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! I'm so sorry it took so long to update but I was completely swamped with schoolwork and needed a break to catch up on it. But at long last I return! Also, I apologize for this being a shorter chapter. This was one of those cases where I felt like it would be best to split these next events up into different chapters instead of jumbling them all together into one. Plus, it's been like a month since I updated. I felt bad so here you guys go! As always, feel free to send any questions/comments/concerns either in the comments or hmu at authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: Into the belly of the beast


	18. Without Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxie is formally introduced to familiar faces. Also, just a fair warning for some minor Pokemon abuse/signs of neglect.

The rage coursing through Maxie's veins was fiery as he looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't even look like the proud, great Maxie anymore. He certainly didn't feel like that man either. Whoever was standing before him was nothing more than a perfect stranger. After having brunet hair for months now, he had gotten used to the sight. He still longed for his red hair. Based on how his red roots were beginning to show, it looked like he was finally going to have his natural color back soon. There was no reason to keep up this guise. But now...now he kind of wanted to sink back into Xavier's life. Xavier didn't have to deal with all of the bullshit Maxie did. Xavier wasn't a wanted criminal. Xavier was an uncle figure to a seven year old boy. Xavier had a handsome boyfriend. 

Xavier was happy. 

Maxie was miserable as he looked at the man in the mirror. Cyrus must have had their enrollment planned for a long time. Instead of being outfitted with the same uniforms the grunts wore, Maxie and Archie were given special treatment. Much like the commanders, they both were given unique outfits to symbolize they were higher up on the chain of command. Maxie felt like he would have a permanent cringe as he continued to take in his outfit. It was practically the same as his signature Magma outfit with a few alterations here and there. There wasn't an ounce of red on the clothes. Instead the color scheme was black and silver, much like everyone else who was a member of this horrid organization. The sleeves and upper portion of his coat were silver with vertical thin, hair like stripes. Near the bottom end of the coat the color shifted into a solid black. The awful golden "G" insignia stood proudly over his heart. They didn't provide a turtleneck for him, which Maxie found as idiotic considering Sinnoh was a much colder region than Hoenn was. He needed that turtleneck sweater, not the simple silver long sleeve they provided him. Over top of that shirt was a black vest with a hood attached. Game silver fur lines the edge of the hood. Silver pants with thick, black horizontal stripes and black boots that rose to the middle of his calves finished off his dreaded attire. 

"I feel absolutely ridiculous," Maxie grumbled and looked over to his fellow prisonmate who has been mumbling nothing but curses ever since they were given ten minutes of privacy to change in a bedroom that felt more like an empty room than anything else. There wasn't even a bed sticking out in the room. Rather, there was just a rectangular hole in the wall with a pillow and flimsy blanket. The only physical objects in the room were a thin metal desk, a rolling chair, a banner with the "G" insignia on it hanging above said desk, and florescent lights above head. 

"You're tellin' me. At least you can fit in your stupid clothes." From what Maxie had seen between his short time following Cyrus through the halls from his office to the dormitory area for the commanders, Archie held more muscles than everyone they had passed combined. He probably held more than everyone in the building. That wasn't so much of a boast on Archie as it was an insult to the nerds managing Team Galactic. 

Archie wasn't given something that was similar to his old wetsuit. Instead he was given normal clothes. Well, normal clothes in the eyes of a psychopath cultist. The black shirt he was given clung tightly to his skin. His silver jacket lined with a black collar was also a tight fit, but all it took was a quick stretch and the fabric didn't last any longer. Parts of the sleeves and the back ripped, allowing him to let out a sigh of relief now that he could finally breathe again. Inverse to Maxie's pants, Archie had blank pants with bold, silver stripes. However, just like with Maxie's attire, the "G" insignia laid right above Archie's heart. Right beside that "G" in the middle of his chest was the anchor charm Maxie had given him for Christmas. 

The men looked at one another. As much as Maxie enjoyed seeing Archie murder clothes using his muscles alone, it wasn't enough to make the grief in his eyes disappear. It felt like they still had a few short minutes before Cyrus would be knocking on the door to continue their tour. Both men wanted to use up every second of that time. 

"This is an absolute mockery of the great Maxie...How in the world did we get in this mess anyway?" Maxie whispered, tugging on the cuffs of his coat sleeves. 

"Your guess is as good as mine, Max." Archie scratched his prickly cheek, taking soft steps over to Maxie. Maxie didn't want to be touched. He felt like he was close to blowing up and any minimal thing would be enough to trigger the detonation. However, when Archie wrapped his arms around him, Maxie all but melted into the other man, skewing his glasses in the process but not caring enough to fix them. Being held in Archie's embrace made him feel like everything was going to be alright even though both men knew they were going to be stuck in this special kind of hell for much longer then they would ever want. 

As much as Maxie wanted to lounge around in self-pity and defeat, his will was much too strong to do such a thing. He may not be able to recognize the man in the mirror, but he knew he was still the great Maxie Matsubusa. "We need to figure out a way to get our Pokemon back," he mumbled against Archie's skin, the fire in his eyes igniting as his mind started scheming. No body messed with Maxie Matsubusa's beloved Pokemon. "Once we have our Pokemon, then we will be able to take these fools down." There was no reason to beat around the bush. They had a limited time to come up with something, anything, that would be of use to them in the long run. 

"We gotta figure out where they're bein' held first," Archie murmured in return. Maxie was half expecting a snarky comment, but he could tell that Archie knew their time to scheme together was limited. "I doubt Cyrus will show us during this fucked up tour of his. Just keep your eyes and ears open. You know how much grunts like to talk."

"Hopefully grunt gossip is a universal constant."

"It's gotta be. Right now it's the best thing we got until we can figure somethin' out. I gotta admit, I'm still too heated to really think right."

Maxie rest his hand on Archie's chest. One of his fingers gently grazed over the metallic anchor. Things were finally beginning to go right, but if he kept up this attitude things never go back to being right. 

"Admittedly, I'm still a tad confused as well. Once we have a better understanding of the situation and environment, we will be able to plan accordingly. For now, patience is key." Waiting around had never been one of Maxie's virtues, but if it would allow for them to plan a proper escape, then he supposed it would be worth the wait. 

"We can't sit around on our asses though. The longer we stay here, the worse everything will get, especially outside of this place. It's hard to say what kind of chaos these spacemen are gonna start. We also gotta get Lucas away from Ayako."

Maxie looked up, noting that Archie's eyes weren't looking at him. Instead, they were focused on one corner of the room, seeming to be lost in thought. Maxie cupped his bearded cheek and gingerly kissed the corner of his mouth to bring Archie's attention back to him, as it should be all day every day. "I have never been one to approve of kidnapping, especially when it involved taking a child away from his mother. Ayako looked absolutely terrified. I am angry at her betrayal, yes, but it's hard to say what the events were that led her up to taking such drastic measures. Galactic could have forced her hand by threatening harm to Lucas for all we know."

Archie looked like he was getting ready to grumble an opposing response, so instead of listening to it Maxie covered his mouth with his hand, taking Archie by surprise. A very confused kind of surprise. "Once we get out of here we will definitely look into finding Lucas asylum. As for Ayako, we will have to look into the context of the situation. The context in which we have no information on."

Archie didn't mumble in response. Instead, Maxie felt a wet tongue lick his hand, prompting him to immediately withdraw. He stuck his own tongue out in disgust and wiped the saliva off on Archie's clothes, not that the man would care. 

"What the fuck was that for?"

"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes."

If they were in the safety of their home, Maxie would have found Archie's antics charming. Now stress was coursing through his body at unbelievable speeds. Stress did indeed make him very irritable. Irritable enough for him to push off of Archie. "You're absolutely unbelievable." 

"Oh, well excuse me for being just a lil' pissed off that you wanna defend the chick who stabbed us in the back."

"I am not defending her. All I'm saying is that-"

"I don't care what ya gotta say since it's just gonna be excuse after excuse. We're in the mess because of her, Max."

Maxie's face turned sour, wrinkling with his scowl. It has been months since Archie has made his blood reach its boiling point. He nearly forgot how awful it felt. Maxie's cool demeanor was gone. He didn't have a team that looked up to him anymore. He prided himself on being able to take the punches without flinching, but now in the solitude of the room, Maxie couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed the front of Archie's shirt and pulled him in close. They only had a few inches difference in height, pulling Archie down to his level felt like pulling a giant down to earth. "I am getting completely fed up with people cutting me off and putting words into my mouth. I am not about to forgive Ayako for putting us into this mess. What I'm saying is making wild accusations without the facts will do much more harm than good. I doubt any of this is getting through your thick skull, considering how little my words mean to you, but I pray that you do not make things worse for us by jumping to conclusions."

Archie's blue eyes were raging like a stormy ocean. It felt like they truly were the leaders of their teams once more. He grabbed Maxie's wrist and pried it off of his shirt. Try as he might, Maxie couldn't compete with Archie's strength. "I don't think this could get any worse, especially now since you're back to your old, asshole self."

"And you're not?" he challenged. Archie grip was fierce. His wrist ached and he tried to pull away, but letting him escape must not have been on his agenda today. "You're the one being completely stubborn. Now let go. You're hurting me."

Just like that, Archie released his wrist and adverted his gaze. He rubbed his wrist to soothe it. 

"Sorry," Archie lowly mumbled. If the room wasn't deathly silent then there would have been no way for Maxie to hear it. 

Maxie knew that they couldn't do this without the other, but he was also pretty pissed off at Archie. He hasn't felt this frustrated with the man since he wore his red lab coat. He just wanted to be alone right now to try and figure things out for himself, but he knew that they still had business to attend to whether they liked it or not. Maxie most certainly did not. Holding his hands behind his back, Maxie brushed past Archie, purposefully bumping him on his shoulder as he passed. 

Without so much as another word, Maxie left the room that was going to be one of theirs at the end of this introduction. Cyrus was waiting on the other side, looking as bored and drained as one person could be. If such creatures existed, Maxie would have thought of Cyrus as a vampire. An emotionally draining vampire. His eyes looked over Maxie, then over to Archie when he emerged from the room. 

"I suppose I underestimated your size," he said dully. Maxie knew damn well he wasn't talking to him. 

"No shit. You're lucky I like my clothes a lil' torn."

"Personally, I don't care about your personal preferences," he said bluntly. Maxie absolutely hated Cyrus' guts, but he did like how straight to business the man was. Nothing was worse than a villain who liked to go on and on without really getting to the point. "We've wasted enough time with this. Follow me. We can walk and talk."

As reluctant as they were, they followed him. Both men were careful to stay in their own personal space. Maxie didn't want to be next to Archie right now, and he definitely didn't want to be next to Cyrus. Archie must have felt the same way. A few feet of space were placed between each man as they walked down the dark grey hallway. Grunts were moving here and there, but no matter where they were they stepped aside to let their leader pass. Cyrus gave no acknowledgement to the grunts. Although Maxie was never the friendliest leader, the very least he did for his Magma grunts was nod his head in acknowledgement. He wouldn't have been anything without the hard work of his grunts. The grunts he wanted nothing but the best for now that they were in the new chapters of their lives. 

"I have given you Team Galactic's mission statement," Cyrus stated, "so now it is time to move on to your duties. Both of you are much to valuable to start out as mere grunts, so I will begin you two as commanders on probation. You will have access to more areas than the grunts as well as the privilege to lead in research efforts. However, you do not have absolute freedom. When conducting research or when entering a restricted area, you must be accompanied by another commander or myself. There are certain areas the commanders are allowed to enter but you are not. Only when you have proven your loyalty to the team I will grant more freedom." 

Kidnapping someone and then demanding their loyalty felt like a trainer trying to get a deaf dog to sit using verbal commands alone. It just wasn't going to happen. 

"What exactly do you have in mind for our research tasks?" Maxie asked. "Are you wanting one of us to take Dialga and the other Palkia?"

"Eventually, but not yet," he answered. "Unlike the Hoenn legendaries Kyogre and Groudon, Sinnoh legendaries require more steps to summon them. Dialga and Palkia are not asleep, tucked away in a cavern waiting to be found. They live in a realm different than our own, but connected nonetheless. Opening an interdimensional hole to obtain those Pokemon requires more than simply stealing an orb." Cyrus made it sound like that was an easy job to begin with. First they had to figure out the significance of the orbs. Then they had to fight off two old people to snag them. 

"The mythical and legendary Pokemon of this region are intertwined in some way, shape, or form," he continued. "That is where our research begins; figuring out the connections between these Pokemon. Once the connections have been made, then those connections can be used." He stopped in front of a metal door with black and yellow diagonally striped lines on the top and bottom. He pulled two cards out of his pocket and handed them over to the men. They were dark grey and blank. The only design was the familiar golden "G" on one side of them. "Those key cards will grant you access to our labs. Maxie, I will give you the honors of trying yours out first."

Maxie stepped up to the door and swiped the key against the slit in an otherwise blank keypad. There was a "click," then the doors moved to the side. The laboratory inside was small and not impressive, especially when Maxie compared it to the state of the art laboratories Team Magma had. Then again, it took him a few years to gather the funds to obtain said equipment or grunts smart enough to steal equipment. Desks with computers and other machinery occupied the floor space while larger, whirling machines lined the sides of the room. Lights flashed, beeps sounded, and grunts talked amongst themselves. However, there was a little more variety in the people. All of the grunts looked the same, but two figures stood out. 

Two familiar figures. 

A greying old man and a red headed girl were both interested in one of the cases on the far side of the room. Unlike the cold, dull machinery in the room, this case was full of color and life. Around the size as an exotic fish tank, green plant life brightened up the room, serving as a fancy terrarium. 

"Commander Charon. Commander Mars."

Hearing their names, the two turned their attention to Cyrus and company. Archie grumbled something that Maxie couldn't quite hear, but he knew it wasn't good. 

"Ah, Master Cyrus. I see that at long last we finally have the Hoennians on our side," old man Charon said. "See gentlemen? Your fate was inevitable. You should have followed me peacefully when you had the chance." 

"Considering you ruined our Halloween, I think not," Maxie grumbled. 

"Yeah, Charon. Let's not forget who was the one who confirmed they where they were," Mars scoffed. 

"And let's also not forget who displayed Team Galactic in such a pathetic manner during that mission, Commander Mars," Cyrus attacked. The girl immediately shrunk down. "But no matter. Until we control Dialga there is no altering the past. Maxie, this is where we part."

Surprised at the news, Maxie looked at Cyrus curiously before finally putting his feelings into words. "What do you mean by that?"

"You are being assigned to assist Commander Charon and Commander Mars. This is their primary laboratory. I will allow the commanders to take things over from here. Archie, you will follow me to your assignment." Cyrus turned to leave, but his explanation wasn't good enough for Maxie. Even Archie looked more confused than anything else. 

"So...you kidnap us and then expect us to immediately start on whatever research you want? I thought you would have at least given us a tour of this building first." Maxie still had no idea where they were in term of geographical location. 

"You will figure out the layout yourself. And if you don't want any of your Pokemon to meet a long, drawn out death, then yes. This is not the first day of school where we simply go over the syllabus, gentlemen. You know the ropes. There is no reason to waste any more time on providing introductions." Cyrus's icy eyes sent a chill down Maxie's spine. He took it back. Sometimes being too blunt is a bad thing. 

Having made his point, Cyrus looked over at Archie, who still looked rather confused. He looked over toward Maxie, but Maxie turned away. Perhaps this seperation would prove to be good right now. Maxie wanted to believe so, but knowing that he wasn't going to have Archie by his side during this time made his stomach twist. He wouldn't dare say he was scared, but the fact of the matter was he was terrified. 

"We will be going now," Cyrus stated. "The device on your wrist will serve as your communication device, Maxie." The same device Ayako had given them for Christmas. "Commander Mars will show you how it works."

After finally putting an end to the conversation, Cyrus walked out of the laboratory with Archie reluctantly in tow. Archie gave Maxie one final glance, but Maxie still couldn't bring himself to look the man in the eye. When the doors closed behind him, Maxie finally took his eyes off of the floor and placed them onto the two in front of him. Mars let her frail shoulders ease up now that she was out of Cyrus's sight. 

"I completed the main mission. That should have been enough for him," she grumbled just to get that out of her system before she turned her gaze to Maxie. She looked young. Way too young to be getting involved in shady business like this, Maxie thought. "Well Maxie, welcome to Team Galactic! You may have beaten me once, but just so you know Cyrus said I have more power over you so it looked like I'm getting the final laugh! Ha!"

Maxie rolled his eyes. The second he had Camerupt back, he was going to burn these people into crisps. Not caring in the slightest to carry out this conversation any further, he walked past the both of them and eyed the terrarium. "This is such a strange place to put a miniature ecosystem," he stated evenly, doing his very best to keep himself from breaking down. "Is there something inside of here or is it here just to bring life into this otherwise suicidal laboratory?" He looked past his shoulder, not caring with of the two commanders responded. 

"It's here for a reason," Charon answered as he walked over to Maxie's side. "The reason being it was the only spot we had room for it. This headquarters is still under construction, so until the more spacious labs are finished we have the honors of keeping this here."

"That only answered part of my question. What significance does this terrarium hold?" Maxie's patience was wearing thin. His voice was cool but harsh, like an ice that was frozen into a a ball with thousands of thin but pointy spikes. Mars stepped up to the other side of him, pressing her face against the glace like a child at a zoo. 

"It was the main objective of my mission to Floaroma Town," she replied with a hum, poking a finger against the glass. "There it is!"

All Maxie could see in the box were the luxurious greens of small plants and vines. Pink and yellow flowers were in full bloom. Within all of this green, Maxie did notice one oddity. Brown grass with wilting flowers took up a small patch of the artificial ground. "I am quite honestly getting tired of this game. What am I supposed to be looking at here?"

"Here I thought glasses were supposed to help you see," Mars hummed. "Take a look at that brown patch of grass. Don't you see it's moving?"

Maxie had to lean in a little closer to the glass, but finally, he did witness the said patch of grass moving ever so slightly. It just went up and down, taking short breaths. Maxie studied it intently before finally the dots were connected. 

"You captured Shaymin?" he gasped. From everything that he's seen, Shaymin was a very vibrant Pokemon. It was the epitome of a lively spring bloom. If this was in fact that mythical Pokemon, then Maxie's heart ached for the poor creature. 

"You got it!" Mars clasped her hands in excitement. 

"It is such a shame that you couldn't have conducted business a little more quietly," Charon scolded. "Perhaps then we could consider it a success. I have no idea what Cyrus was thinking assigning a mission like that to you."

Mars's shoulders tensed once more as she hugged herself. The Shaymin Festival was months ago and they were still giving her shit about it? 

"If Cyrus didn't think I was worthy to be a commander he wouldn't have promoted me to be one," she countered. Maxie was unfortunately caught in the middle of the bickering commanders. He let out a deep exhale since he doubted he could get away with completely exploding on these fools and kept his eyes focused on the browning patch of grass. The Pokemon was either sleeping or too afraid to move in such a confined space. Whatever his new partners were saying went in one ear and out the other. It was only when he received a harsh smack on the shoulder from the old man that his attention returned to reality. 

"What," he snapped.

"You must know that it is rude to not pay attention when someone is talking to you. You are not a god above men anymore," Charon stated, matching his harsh tone. 

"There's no need to get all poetic. What do you want?"

"Cyrus appointed you and the Aqua leader to be commanders, right?" the squeaky voice of the girl beside him said. "Well, if you're going to be commanders, you need names."

Maxie rolled his eyes. "I do have a name. It's Maxie and I expect for you to refer to me as such."

"Where's the fun in that though?" she whined. "Becoming a commander is one of the highest honors there is! It means that Cyrus values you, and that's something to take pride in since that man is indifferent about everything. When our new universe is created, we become part of it, so I believe that it's only fitting if we go on and become accustomed to our roles. Now, I get that you would make a good Mars, but that's role's obviously already taken by the one and only." Mars pointed to herself with a grin. "However, fortunately for you I think I have the perfect planet in mind for you.The four terrestrial planets are each unique in their own ways, but I think Mercury is best fitting for you."

"Mercury?"

"Yep! I know that it has a small surface area, but don't let that linger in your mind for too long. Not only does it have the hottest temperature of all the planets, but it is also theorized to have a molten core. The high traces of sulfur, the countless amounts of craters, and evidence of pyroclastic flows all point to the possibility that this planet was full of volcanoes billions of years ago. So there's my thought process on that."

Maxie felt like if he rolled his eyes again they were going to fall out of his skull. "You are not going to call me Mercury."

"And what exactly are you going to do if I do?" Mars challenged. "You may be a commander, but Cyrus made it very clear that I have power over you."

"Your dumbass shouldn't have power over anyone," Charon grumbled. Mars shot him a deadly glare. 

"Ignore that geezer. He's named Charon because, like Pluto and its moons, he's old and irrelevant."

"Yet I'm still recognized as one of the greatest scientists in all of Sinnoh whereas you're nothing more than a brainless groupie."

"Sweet Arceus, enough!" Maxie groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Now he knew how his admins felt when he got into a verbal confrontation with Archie. "Call me whatever you deem fit. I don't care so long as it gets you two to shut up."

"...If it makes you feel any better, I also picked out a name for the Aqua leader," she offered even though Maxie had checked out of the conversation. He moved closer to the terrarium. The top of the case was simply latched locked. "I think that Neptune will be best for him. Neptune itself is a gas giant, but it's ties to aquatic mythology are still there."

"What are you doing?" Charon demanded, brushing past Mars and being met with Maxie's sharp expression. 

"I'm seeing just how badly you all are treating this Pokemon," he stated and unlatched the hook. Charon grabbed his wrist to get him to stop, but for once, Maxie was strong enough to shake the man off. Sure, he was an old man and had more wrinkles than muscle, therefore keeping him from having bragging rights, but it was more than he has done as of late. He reached down the enclosure, letting his hand hover over the Pokemon for a moment. Finally, he saw a hint of its white body. Well, it was supposed to be white. Now it looked like a light grey. In a few spots on its body there wasn't even fur. There was only red, irritated patches of skin. Shaymin sniffed his hand curiously before biting the tip of his finger when he got too close. Maxie withdrew for a moment, but quickly grabbed it with both hands and pulled it out of the case. It squirmed and squeaked in his hands, but Maxie has handle far too many active puppy Pokemon in his lifetime to let this tiny creature wiggle its way out of his grip. 

"You're going to drop it and let all my hard work get away!" Mars protested and stomped a foot on the ground. "Put it back!"

"Honestly, I don't know what's more horrendous. These outfits, this plan, or your treatment of Pokemon," Maxie said. "Look at this Pokemon and tell me it's healthy. Go on." He stretched Shaymin out for the two commanders, as well as the grunts who were now watching the scene, to see. Charon looked annoyed while Mars looked down at her feet. Once Maxie had made his point, he pulled Shaymin closer to his chest. The creature was still wiggling in his grasp, but started to calm down when one of his fingers scratched its cheek. "How much pride would it bring you if the Pokemon you searched long and hard for died solely because every one here was too incompetent to take care of it? Grass types need sun, water, fresh air, among other things. Being stuck in such a small, windowless, metallic room is doing nothing but killing it."

"But..." Mars hesitantly piped up since she's been scolded enough today. "We don't have a place to keep it other than here."

"Then I suppose you will be having a conversation with your precious leader as to why one of the key Pokemon in your plans has died," Maxie shot. "You know this building better than I do. Find a place for it."

Charon didn't falter, but Mars was even more tense than before. She may have been higher ranking than he was, but Maxie was much more demanding and intimidating then she first believed. 

"I...I'll go see what I can do," she stuttered out before scampering away, part to carry out Maxie's orders and part to get away from his murderous look. 

"Just so you know, I don't appreciate-" Charon started before Maxie interrupted him.

"Do you think I give a damn about whatever you're about to say? I know my place is beneath you, but like hell I'm going to be bossed around by some imbecile."

"You better watch that tone, sonny. Just because we're on the same team doesn't change the fact I still think you're a self righteous."

"You will have to come up with better insults if you want to get my blood boiling." Shaymin chirped and nuzzled closer to his chest. It had finally calmed down, which was honestly surprising. Maxie was sure that much more handling would be needed in order to gain its trust. Perhaps it knew Maxie wasn't apart of these fools? Perhaps it knew that Maxie wasn't going to harm it? 

Charon finally stomped off and Maxie released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He looked down at Shaymin, finding two beady eyes looking back up at him. They didn't look content. They looked pleading. They looked terrified. Maxie sighed and scratched its cheek again to comfort the scared creature. He was going to get it out of here. They were both going to return to Floaroma Town. 

In order to do that, Maxie realized, he needed Archie's help. He may be the great Maxie, but with a plan this big he was going to need help. 

Not only did he need Archie's help, but he needed Archie by his side in general. Their fight was fueled by nothing but nerves and stress from the situation they were thrown in. Maxie didn't want to revert back to being enemies. Maxie didn't even want to be allies and only allies.

He wanted the life Xavier and Bernie created. 

He was going to get that life, dammit. Repenting for his sins by living through episodes of specially formulated hell was not the life he wanted to live. It wasn't going to be the life he was going to live. He learned from his mistakes and he will be damned if he doesn't get his redemption. 

Just like Shaymin, when he escaped this metallic hell he was going to thrive. 

He couldn't accomplish any of that without the man he loved by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!!!! Do you know how good it feels to be able to get back to this after being on hiatus for a month? It feels so good. If you have any questions/comments/concerns then feel free to leave them in the comments below or hmu at authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: The pirate meets the prince of the sea.


	19. The Anchor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie is introduced to his assignment.

For practically a decade of his life, Maxie's face was the absolute last thing Archie ever wanted to see. Hell, if he never saw the man again then that would be means of celebration.

But things have changed.

They have been inseparable day after day, month after month. The times they were separated to go to the store or to carry out some other miscellaneous task were always brief. Not to mention they had the security of knowing they were going to see each other at the end of the day. In this metallic hell, that security was nonexistent. Anything could happen at any given moment.

They may not have been on good terms right about now, but Archie still wanted Maxie's arrogant, but familiar, face by his side. He was used to Maxie's rage. He wasn't used to Cyrus's deadpan stare. His icy teal eyes. The eyes that didn't have a soul behind them.

The eyes just like Darkrai.

"So..." Archie started. After departing from Maxie they have been down two hallways and neither have said a word. Wherever they may be or where they were going was nothing short of a mystery. The silence in the air was bothering him, but it didn't seem to affect Cyrus in the slightest. because of course it wouldn't. "Where are ya gonna end up stickin' me?"

"In our aquatic division," he answered dully. "You're an expert in aquatic research so it only made sense to place you there. However, unlike your counterpart I will be personally asking for your assistance from time to time."

Archie rose a curious brow. "Why's that?"

"Because you and I have the same outlook on the world." Those icy eyes glanced at Archie. Cyrus was much smaller than Archie, but those eyes were enough to make the large man shudder. His words were even more chilling. "Humanity doesn't deserve the life, the power, it was given for humans are too reckless of a species to do anything beneficial with it. The world had turned from a beautiful blank slate to the atrocious splatter painting it is today. It is nothing but nonsense. Nothing but filth." He slide his card against a keypad, leading them into yet another hallway. 

"When I first heard about an organization from Hoenn wanting to wipe the world of its sins using the power of Kyogre, I must admit I wasn't interested solely because I didn't understand how the world could rid itself of the deep stains of society. But now. Now I understand. It's not impossible to make a utopia. Team Magma claimed to be the best bet for humanity, but that simply wasn't true. Maxie's goal would have only worsened the problem by allowing humanity expand, therefore spreading all of the filth of the world with it. You see the bigger picture. The only way to save humanity is to start anew."

With every passing word, Archie grew uneasy. Cyrus still believed that he wanted to wipe out humanity? That had to be like three character arcs ago. "So what I'm hearing is that Team Aqua was, like, your inspiration?" 

"In a way, yes. I kept a close eye on Hoenn news to see where you were in your plans. I must admit, I was quite impressed with how much progress your team made. However, as much of an inspiration Team Aqua was to me, I didn't like the idea of creating a free world. All of that hard work to place the world back into its pure state would have ultimately backfired. The world would have flooded, but humans are stupidly persistent. Some would have found ways to adapt and survive the watery terrain. From there, humanity would have ended up right back to where it is. A perfect world needs to be controlled to prevent it from transforming into an irrationally emotional state. That is where we differ." 

Cyrus folded his hands behind his back in a similar fashion to how Maxie used to hold his. From what Archie could tell, he held the ideologies of Team Aqua but the organization and strict leadership of Team Magma. 

It was an absolutely terrifying combination. 

"But you saw how all that ended up for us," Archie countered, doubtful that he was going to be able to talk any sense into the man. "We got our asses handed to us by two kids. We're here in Sinnoh because we lost."

"That is another difference between you and I," Cyrus stated matter-of-factually. "Your failure was not in vain. It proved to be a learning experience more than anything else. Some tactics work, some don't. By learning from the mistakes made by Aqua and Magma, Team Galactic will surely succeed."

All of the notes on the Project AZOTH file made sense to begin with, but now their theory had only been confirmed. Cyrus was copying them. 

"And what if it doesn't?"

Cyrus stopped in front of a metallic door similar to the one he had dropped Maxie off at. "Team Galactic will not fail. Swipe your card."

Archie stood there for a moment. His mind was still thinking of all the ways this could end for him. He didn't want to absently obey, but he truly did not have another choice in the matter. He stepped up to the keypad and swiped his card. There was a "click" and the doors opened up, moving to the side. Cyrus stepped in and Archie followed. 

Unlike the lab that Maxie was dropped off in, this one was much more lively. Desks were filled with flimsy paper piles and other types of clutter. Luminescent blue pipes were attached to a wall and all led to a large rectangular tank off in the corner of the room. 

"Commander Saturn. Commander Jupiter," Cyrus called. A few feet away from them, A lady with dark violet hair tied up into two buns, one on the top of her head and the other near the bottom, stood from her computer desk and waltzed over to the men. All of the Galactic outfits were strange, but Archie found hers to be the strangest. It looked like a one piece jump suit except her left leg had been cut out and replaced with a thigh high boot. What was the point in that? Even Shelly wasn't that extra in her outfit choices. 

Approaching from the tank was a man with navy hair in the shape of a boomerang. Again, there was no reason to be so extra. First he had to deal with Team Magma's nonsense of the members wearing turtleneck sweaters in literal volcanoes. He couldn't handle any more crimes against fashion. Where was the budget in this anyway?

"Greetings Master Cyrus," the man said, looking up and down at the new member. "It's also a pleasure to finally meet you, Archie."

"Or Neptune, as Mars insists," the woman giggled. Archie had to do everything in his power to prevent himself from jumping into the tank and letting the sweet water take him right then and there. "I think it's fitting. We gas giants have to stay together."

"But as you should know," Cyrus interrupted, "codenames have little to no meaning. I wouldn't even use them if Mars hadn't been so insistent on it. Nevertheless, I will leave our new commander in your hands for the time being. Now, I will be off. If you need me, don't. Commander Saturn will deal with anything that arises."

"With honor," said the man. Archie let out a deep exhale, realizing that he was stuck with a kiss ass. He glanced over at the woman, Jupiter he guessed, and saw her eyeing him up. Great. 

"Good." With that being said, Cyrus turned and left the room. With him gone, Jupiter was quick to go over to Archie's side. Her hips had a swing with every step. Shelly has taught him many things in life. How to fight, how to be true to who he was, how to steal from stores without getting caught, but probably the most important thing she's ever taught him was how some women acted when they wanted to flirt with a guy. She never used any of her tactics on him since they saw their relationship as more sibling-esque than anything else. The lesson came up because Archie wanted to avoid flirty women.

"So...Archie," Jupiter drew out, "it's an honor to finally meet you." She placed her hand on his bicep and he was quick to shake her off. His glare threatened her to try it again, but her confident demeanor and the glimmer in her eyes told him that she didn't take his warning to heart. 

"Can't say the same," he snapped.

"Hey now, there's no need to get so confrontational," Saturn said coolly, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm. "I understand that Master Cyrus could have carried about business a little more humanely, but you're here now and we want nothing more than to welcome you, as well as Maxie, with open arms. We admire your work, sir."

"Clever, brave, and not to mention strong," Jupiter giggled, holding her hand to her cheek.

"If ya'll think flatterin' will work on me, you're dead wrong," Archie warned, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"Flattering? Nonsense!" Saturn replied. "I simply want you to know that we are not cruel and want to do you harm. We wish to learn from you." 

The lessons they sought were how to destroy the world though. Archie couldn't let that happen again. They wanted to learn from him, so it looked like it was time to become the world's worst teacher. 

"Yeah, well, hate to break it to ya but I'm an expert in all things Kyogre. Not so much Dialga and Palkia and whatever else ya Sinnohians got."

"Ah, but that's where applied knowledge comes into play. Follow me, please." Saturn gestured for him to follow. As the running theme of the day, Archie had no choice but to follow. If there was a bright side to any of this, it was that Saturn was walking him over to the tank Archie was curious about. "Kyogre may be the ruler of the seas, but we have another line of aquatic royalty in our possession."

Wherever that royalty was, Archie couldn't tell. The water was as clear as could be. Seaweed grew at the bottom and a few Magikarp and Finneon swam around in their contained environment. 

"What am I supposed to be lookin' at here?"

"Why don't you take a closer look?" Jupiter offered, yanking a yellow, tubular device from a nearby desk. It was an oxygen converter, aka, one of the best pieces of technology ever created by man. Archie took it from Jupiter's hands and glanced between the two, quite astounded with what they were offering. 

"You're...you're not pullin' my leg here?"

"Anything but," Saturn answered. "You can look at something all day but never learn anything from it. Go on and meet the prince of the sea himself."

Archie still couldn't believe what they were asking him to do. It almost felt too good to be true. However, that certainly didn't stop him from moving to the side of the tank, finding bars to climb up on. He was quick to reach the top of the tank and pushed the cover just far enough for him to slip into the water. He put the oxygen converter into his mouth and jumped right in. 

He couldn't remember the last time he was surrounded by water other than his lonely nights in the tub. The cool water felt blissful against his skin. Saturn and Jupiter may be able to see him, but right now, Archie felt like he could finally take a break from the world and just think. His nerves were significantly calmer now that he was in the welcoming embrace of the element he loved the most. 

He pushed himself off of the wall and looked around. The tank was large, sure, but it was also extremely contained. The fish continuously to bump into him since they had didn't have much room to go around him. 

It would have been nice to know what he was supposed to be looking for. The prince of the sea? He never would have expected a creature that held that title to fit into a tiny space such as this. His feet touched the rocky bottom, looking for anything of interest. His patience paid off. In some of the seaweed he spied a shining red gem. He waded over to that patch and cautiously moved the plants out of the way. He was half expecting to be attacked for disrupting whatever Pokemon was hiding in it, but to his surprise the creature looked like it was asleep. Its body was tiny, barely a foot tall if he had to guess. It's head took up a little less than half of its already small body. Its body was almost camouflaged into the blue of the water. The red gem was attached to its stomach. Right underneath it was a smaller, yellow gem. Four yellow circles paired off in twos lingered around its eyes in a similar fashion to eyelashes. Squishy and tentacle like antennae sprouted out the top of its head, which was currently being used as a blanket of sorts. 

Archie had an idea as to what the creature could be, but he couldn't say for certain. Sinnoh Pokemon were not his forte. He contemplated on what to do next. Should he pick it up? Poke it? Let it sleep? Before he could come to a decision he saw the eyes of the Pokemon flutter open. It stared up at him. Archie was afraid it was going to swim away from fear, but instead it sat up and floated to inspect him closer. Its eyes were curiously looking at every inch of his body at it swam in a circle around him. Just like how the Pokemon couldn't take his eyes off of the human, Archie couldn't take his eyes off of the Pokemon. Both were equally as fascinated with each other. 

The ball-like tips of the antennae glowed softly as the antennae split into two. One tip touched Archie's chest and the other touched the golden anchor charm. 

Archie blinked, only to take a surprised jump back when he opened his eyes a millisecond later. He didn't have the water to hold him up anymore. Instead, he was met with the cool air of a Sinnoh afternoon. He stumbled back but was able to find his balance before he landed on his ass. 

Colorful booths lined the streets. People were practically shoulder to shoulder with each other. Children ran around, playing with foam swords and other knick knacks they used their allowance money to buy from the vendors. People walked by with greasy carnival food and oversized stuffed toys in their hands. Archie did his best to stay out of everyone's way, but quickly found that people phased right through him. He couldn't feel them and they couldn't feel him. They couldn't feel him. They couldn't see him. Archie tested this theory out using the only method he knew; punching a random person right in the face. His fist went right through their skull and the person kept on walking without a care in the world. 

"What the actual fuck?" Archie grumbled, taking a step back to take in the surroundings. He knew what this was. It was by far one of the most pleasant days of his life. 

It was the Shaymin Festival. 

Archie had so many questions but absolutely no answers. He probably wasn't going to obtain any answers by standing around either. He walked with the crowd, looking for quite literally anything that would help him figure out what was going on. Finding that blue Pokemon would really help matters. 

"I'll be around here, Bernie. Don't keep me waiting too long," an oh so familiar voice said. Archie whipped his head around to see Maxie standing a few feet away from him. Archie had only seen the back of his own head before his past self disappeared into the crowd, leaving Maxie to browse the stalls with a plush Growlithe in his arms. 

Knowing that calling out for him would have just been a waste of time, Archie stayed silent. He was confused as all hell, but was intrigued nonetheless. Maxie hummed as he eyed the stalls in the area. His eyes lit up with interest as he entered one a few stalls down from where Archie was standing. Figuring that there wasn't anything else to do in this place, Archie followed him. 

Whatever the Pokemon was trying to show him was obviously going over his head. He had to deal with Maxie perusing the stalls all day during the Shaymin Festival. Why was he being forced to live this out again? Plenty of stalls sold jewelry for decent prices, but this was the only one that Maxie was browsing with interest. His eyes were focused as he picked up a few things here or there. 

Archie threw his head back. Out of all the places that the Pokemon could have sent him, the thing had to pick quite literally the most boring event to send him to. 

Then Archie watched Maxie's fingers brush over a necklace with a golden anchor charm. After a moment of thought, Maxie finally picked it up to examine it further. Archie had no idea what Maxie's mother was like other than she was a jewelry maker and she had an obsession with dog Pokemon, but the way that Maxie looked over the fine details of everything he saw had to have been learned.

"Do you need any help, sir?" a young lady working at the stall asked. Maxie was startled and nearly jumped a mile at her voice, only to laugh it off along with her. 

"Oh no. I'm just browsing. You have quite the collection, I must say."

"Aw, thanks!" her cheery voice replied. She looked at the necklace and back over at Maxie, her cheeky grin growing even more cheeky. "Say, you're the guy that beat Darkrai, right?"

Archie rolled his eyes when he saw Maxie's delighted grin. 

"That I am. It was by no means an easy victory, but it was something that had to be done." Archie was surprised that he didn't say more since he loved telling the story so much. 

"Gosh, I can only imagine. And that guy that you live with, he's your boyfriend, right? It's hard to imagine anything taking that walking tree down."

"Eh. He may look big and bad, but I assure you I'm the stronger one of the two."

Archie groaned. Was this flashback finished yet? He really wanted to to be finished. 

"I'll leave that between you and him," she giggled. "But to do that for him...geez, you two must have a really strong bond."

"You could say that, yes."

Carefully, the lady leaned in and looked at the charm in his hands. "I know you two aren't from Sinnoh, but here we have a really old saying. 'An anchor down brings a gown.'"

Maxie eyed her curiously. "You're right. I'm not from around here so I have no idea what that means."

That answer prompted the lady to giggle some more. "I know. It's a weird saying made by a bunch of sailors from Canalave, so of course that just makes it weirder. Basically, an anchor keeps the ship at bay and won't let it stray away. You know that. It used to be ladies who called a sailor their man would give them a small anchor, kinda like the one you're holding now. This meant the sailor was tied down and kept steady with someone back home. Normally, if the sailor accepted the anchor he would end up marrying the girl who gave it to him. Now, it isn't as intense. People break up all the time because there are actually options now, but it's still a cutesy thing for couples to do."

Archie's jaw dropped and Maxie's face was colored a very deep shade of red. Maxie coughed into his fist while he tried to get all of his flustered feelings in order. "Well...well, I didn't know any of that," he tried to laugh off. Archie's never heard any of that either. It must have been a very obscure Sinnohian sailor tradition. Either that or it was a cheap way to get a sale. Archie was leaning on the latter. "Bernie just used to have something like this before he ended up losing it. I was thinking about getting him a replacement one, is all."

"Well!" the lady cheered. "That just means you'll be knocking out two birds with one stone, huh?"

Maxie's face was still as red as a flame, but his shoulders relaxed slightly as he looked at the necklace in his hand. "I suppose I will be."

All it took was a single blink and the Shaymin Festival was gone. The stalls, the crowd, Maxie, all of it was gone. Now Archie found himself back in the tank, his eyes wide with wonder and severe confusion as his looked at the tiny creature before him. It smiled brightly as it swam around him, seeming to like him. 

The glass was tapped, taking Archie out of his state of wonder. Ugh, no wonder fish didn't like it. The vibrations in the water were freaky. The Pokemon hid behind his back to stay out of Saturn's sight. The man pointed up, indicating it was time for Archie to say goodbye to his friend and return to the human world. Archie sincerely didn't want to. He wanted to stay in the water for as long as he wanted. He wanted to see what more this Pokemon was capable of. Until he managed to get his Pokemon back, he was in no position to fight those orders though. 

Archie turned around, finding the Pokemon. It looked up at him with big, sad eyes. They could make a grown man such as himself weep. He patted it on the head, as if saying that he would be back soon, then swam over to the ladder to get out. 

Wet feet touched down on the cold tile floor. Archie didn't know what kind of material his new clothes were made out of, but they didn't retain the least bit of water. The water he was covered in fell to the floor. A grunt rushed over to hand him a towel, which Archie took to dry himself off, obviously. There's not really another point in taking a towel after a swim than to dry off. 

"It looked like you had fun," Saturn mused as Archie approached. 

"Yeah," Archie replied. "What kind of Pokemon is that anyway?" He made a vague gesture over to the tank, but everyone knew what he was talking about. 

"That, my pirate friend, is the mythical Pokemon Manaphy." Saturn puffed out his chest in pride as he answered. "We searched practically every body of water in Sinnoh for it. All of our hard work would have been for a loss if one of the grunts forgot to bring his lunch one day. Apparently that Pokemon really liked peanut butter. Apparently times two, it will snatch a peanut butter sandwich right out of your hands."

There was more to the story and Archie could sense that Saturn was wanting to be prompted further, but Archie also didn't want to talk more to the man than he had to. He placed the towel around his neck and looked back at the tank. A mythical Pokemon, huh? That was an astounding feat indeed. An astounding but saddening feat. 

"It's said to have the power to show and create bonds between people and Pokemon alike," Jupiter informed, biting her lip as she watched the water run off of his bulky arms and chest. "Based on the looks of it, you and Manaphy were having a moment. What was going on there?"

Like hell Archie was going to answer that honestly. The less information Team Galactic had, the better. He shrugged. "Nothin' really. It's weird antennae thing started glowing but nothing happened. If something did happen, I ain't aware of it."

Jupiter stepped closer to him. Archie was way too tired for this shit but also wasn't about to back away from every and any unwanted advances. Gingerly, she rested a hand on his chest. "Well...perhaps Manaphy gave you the ability to make strong bonds with those around you?"

Archie gave her a warning glare and took her wrist, tossing it off of his chest. His mama raised him to treat a lady right, but also taught him that assholes didn't deserve his time of day. As far as he knew, assholes were gender neutral. "Yeah, I don't think so, lass."

Jupiter looked incredibly offended, but before the situation to escalate any further, Saturn stepped in between them with that fake customer service smile that has been plastered on his face since the moment Archie first laid eyes on him. "I'm sure that time will tell what exactly Manaphy did. For now, I believe that should be enough of introductions for all parties. Now, allow me to show you to our research."

///

Living on a twenty year old couch for the past couple of months has prepared Archie to sleep on anything, but the cubby-hole that was now assigned as his bed was something that no amount of training could prepare him for. He was literally boxed in. Whoever decided that this was a good design for a sleeping chamber was a sadistic human being indeed. The "mattress" was merely a foam pad and Archie was close to bumping his head on the top of the chamber every time he sat up. 

It was a little past midnight and Archie was exhausted in the worst kind of way. He was so exhausted he couldn't even sleep. He couldn't rest easy for a moment in this place, as no captive could. The cold, empty room felt like something straight out of a horror movie. Archie's hatred for horror movies knew no bounds. Adding a little life to the room would help, but the only thing he could think of that could accomplish the job was Maxie. Considering that the man refused to look at him before they were separated, it was safe to say that he didn't even have Maxie right now. Archie didn't even want to fight about it anymore. What happened happened and there's nothing they can do about it. They were probably never going to see Ayako or Lucas again, so why did it matter? 

No. They were going to see them again. At the very least, he was going to see Lucas again. They were backed against the wall, but they weren't push overs. They just needed a plan. They needed to find opportunities to strike. 

They needed each other. 

Archie gripped the golden anchor that lied on his bare chest. 

He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his poor, aching back with the hand he wasn't being sentimental with. Oh, what he would give to be a young man again. He went to the door only to stop himself. Maxie could very well not think the same way he did. That had been true for most of their lives. Maxie could just ignore him. He could be figuring out a plan to escape without Archie's help. Maybe he already had one devised. 

Archie shook those thoughts from his head. While they were possibilities, Archie refused to accept any of them. 

He opened the door only to jump in surprise. Maxie was standing there with his back turned to the door. Based on how he jumped a mile as well, he didn't expect Archie to be coming out either. His coat was off but the black shirt and pants he received earlier in the day were still on. 

"Oh! Archie! I, uh.." Maxie was at a loss for words. He scratched his neck and glanced to his floor as his mind tried to generate something, anything to say. 

Archie let out a soft, shaky breath before turning that into a laugh. His life got all the more easy. "Did ya...wanna talk or somethin'?"

Maxie's shoulders eased up as he let out a sigh of relief. "That would be greatly appreciated." He nodded. Archie stepped aside and motioned for the man to come in, which he quickly did. Archie closed the door and rested his back against it while Maxie stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Both men were waiting for the other to go first, but in the end they both start speaking at the same time, stopping when they heard the first words come out of the other's mouth. 

Finally, Archie was the one to actually break. "Listen, I know we don't always see eye to eye on everything. Heh. That was kinda the whole point behind Team Aqua and Magma, wasn't it? But...Max, we have to stick together now more than ever."

"It is physically impossible for me to agree more with you. I think I should be scared that we're on that level." He crossed his arms over his chest, but in a way, it almost looked like he was hugging himself. "This team has seen Project AZOTH. They have a mythical Pokemon for crying out loud! They are a new team but they are already leagues ahead of where we were in the beginning stages of our teams."

Archie furrowed his brow in thought, stepping closer to Maxie. "So they told you about Manaphy, huh?"

"Manaphy?" Maxie repeated in confusion. A shiver was sent down Archie's spine. 

"Yeah...Manaphy. The mythical Pokemon they got their hands on."

The wild look in Maxie's eyes only confirmed his fear. "I...I haven't heard a thing about Manaphy. What I was referring to was Shaymin."

"They have Shaymin?!"

"Oh sweet Arceus, none of this is good." Maxie ran a nervous hand through his hair and Archie rubbed his face as if trying to wake himself up from a bad dream. 

"Yeah, no shit." Archie let out a long exhale to calm himself. None of this was good but he also couldn't take it out on Maxie. He inched closer to Maxie and rested a hand on his back. He was afraid that Maxie was going to move away from him, but the man didn't. In fact, he did the exact opposite and leaned against Archie. Archie's arms snaked around his small frame, holding his only ally in this place close. Feeling Maxie's chest move against his with every shaky breath was oddly comforting. They weren't alone in this fucked up mess. Their teams were gone. Their alternate lives were put on hold. Things were going down a horrible path, but at least they had each other. 

"We'll come up with something," Archie murmured against the top of Maxie's head, noticing the red roots coming through the dye. "It might take longer than we want, but we'll come up with something." Archie knew what he was saying, but he wasn't entirely for sure if he believed himself. "This is day one. Day two we can spend finding weak spots. In the building, in the commanders, the team itself, we'll find them and we'll tear this place to the ground."

"I much prefer burning things, myself," Maxie mumbled quietly, smiles creeping up on both of their faces. His pale hand rested itself on Archie's chest, right on top of the golden anchor. It was probably unintentional, but it still put Archie a little more at ease. 

"Hey Max? I got an off the wall question for ya."

"Which is?" Maxie asked and looked up at him, seeming to not care that pressing his face against Archie's body made his glasses askew. 

"Why'd ya get me an anchor if ya hated the old one so much?"

"Off the wall indeed, weirdo." Maxie shifted his head to rest against Archie's shoulder. Now he found himself twiddling with the charm. "I hated it, yes, but you looked strange without it. Since I wasn't about to try and find that massive thing, I simply found a suitable replacement. Was this an issue of today or something along the lines of that?"

"Nah, not really. I've been in solitude since that stupid curfew Cyrus has set up. Gotta think 'bout somethin'."

"No kidding. I was going stir crazy in my room, if you could even call that a room."

"Well, it's got four walls and a door. It's the bare minimum of a room but a room nonetheless. What I'm more concerned 'bout are these fuckin' beds."

"They're not beds!" Maxie exclaimed in agreement.

"Exactly!"

The world was slowly collapsing around them, but things felt like they were going to be okay for these few brief moments as they gossiped about the Team Galactic while holding each other in their arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!!! Tbh, finals are next week and I should be studying for them but I really wanted to write so here we are. Manaphy needs more love and cooler interpretations of its powers so dammit, I'm gonna let Manaphy shine. As always, feel free to leave any questions/comments/concerns in the comments below or hmu at authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: Three bodies in a blizzard.


	20. The Blizzard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hothead geologist, a depressed pirate, and an unconscious spaceman get stuck in a blizzard. 
> 
> Also, just a heads up, this chapter will have sexual content in it so please read with either caution or anticipation. It will be near the end so feel free to skip it by jumping to the last few paragraphs if you don't want to read it c:

The plan was as clear as a cloudless day. It was a simple excavating mission. Since Team Galactic has not had the best luck in the world in terms of finding the guardians of the lake or anything physical product that would lead them to Dialga or Palkia, Cyrus made the decision to spend their time towards something productive. Something that would make all of their lives easier when they finally did have the means to summon the legendary Pokemon from the dimensions in which they resided in. 

All they had to do was find the path that would lead them to the highest peak of Mt. Coronet.

The plan was as clear as a cloudless day, but Maxie was determined to riddle it with stormy skies. 

For months, Archie and Maxie have been trying to escape from Team Galactic's clutches and for months they have failed. They became painfully familiar with the various escape routes of the building, the schedules of the grunts that made routine checkups of the areas, the location of security cameras. They had literally every means of escape, but the one thing holding them back was their lack of Pokemon. Wherever Cyrus was keeping them was the biggest mystery of all. They weren't being monitored on any of the surveillance cameras. They weren't in any of the rooms Archie and Maxie had access to, as well as the ones they didn't have access to. Maxie was beginning to believe they weren't even being housed in the same building. He wouldn't hold it past Cyrus to do something as cruel as that. Cruel, but strategic. This man knew exactly what he was doing and that was terrifying. 

At first Maxie believed that the best thing for them to do was to get out as soon as possible. Once they were out, they would be able to plan on how to take Team Galactic down. However, now that Maxie has been stuck in this special kind of astronomical hell, he was beginning to see that perhaps the best course of action was to stay and dismantle it from the inside. Cyrus would have been able to summon Dialga and Palkia if it had not been for Maxie "accidentally" spilling coffee on Charon's keyboard when he was getting close to making an unintentional breakthrough. Jupiter would have been able to find one of the guardians of the lakes if it had not been for Archie distracting her by stripping down and taking a swim.

What they were doing was working. Team Galactic's progress was in a stand still. The best thing about it was Archie and Maxie knew that they were too valuable for Cyrus to get rid of as well. They were smart enough to give him some results from their research, but withhold the rest. Whether or not Cyrus was aware of this remained as much of a mystery as where he was holding their beloved Pokemon. Since he was a very blunt man, Maxie doubted he was aware. 

Good. 

Cyrus needed to get the ball rolling again, so that was why they were currently trekking through the eerie caves of Mt. Coronet. Unlike the warm, lively caves of Mt. Chimney, Mt. Coronet was cold and lifeless. Zubats huddled together on the cave ceilings, chirping and batting their wings as they moved about their colony. Every so often a Geodude would move, scaring a poor grunt who thought it was a simple rock. 

"We're going in circles," Cyrus stated, flashing a light against a Geodude that was about to grab his ankle, causing it to freeze in place. 

They totally were. 

"I assure you, we are not," Maxie countered, moving some of the hair out of his face. His brunet dye had washed out and without any more treatment, his hair had gone back to its natural red look. There wasn't an ounce of Xavier left. "Be patient. Mt. Coronet stretches from one end of Sinnoh to the next. Exploring it is by no means a quick and easy task."

Cyrus didn't say anything in return, but he was stabbing daggers into the back of Maxie's head. The icy stare was enough to send chills down Maxie's spine. Or maybe that was the actual draft wafting through the air? It was probably both. Either way, Maxie threw on the hood of his coat to help him stay warm. 

Archie was a little too quiet for Maxie's comfort. Ever since they were so rudely kidnapped, Maxie saw a shift in his attitude similar to how he acted when they first escaped Hoenn. He wore a frown more often than not. His energy was constantly low. Even Maxie sneaked into his room at night it was hard to get him to act like the man he had fallen for. Seeing him in such a state worried Maxie to no end. He wanted nothing more than to comfort the man, but if Cyrus found out about their relationship, whatever their relationship was to begin with, it was hard to say how he would react. More than likely, he would put plenty of distance between them. More than he already did. Maxie didn't want to take the risk. 

Maxie glanced back at the man, just to make sure that he was still there. Physically, he was only a few feet behind him. However, there was a look in his dulled eyes that said his mind was roaming elsewhere. Maxie frowned and turned his attention up ahead, moving his flashlight side to side to fully examine the area. The Pokemon the grunts brought along kept the cave somewhat lit with Flash, but grunt Pokemon were by no means strong and powerful enough to light up an entire cave. 

To prevent Cyrus from seeing right through his plans to waste everyone's time, Maxie shifted his path. Instead of taking another lap around the cave systems, Maxie chose to go a different direction right before he reached an area with possibly distinctive landmarks such as sparkling stalagmites with unique shapes. Twice or three times they may go unnoticed, but now that Cyrus was looking for similarities within the routes they have taken, he would likely notice something like that. 

The air was growing colder and draftier. There was probably an opening somewhere ahead. "I have seen nothing impressive in your navigation skills yet," Cyrus commented. Maxie had to do everything in his power to keep himself from rolling his eyes. 

"Navigating through a foreign cave is not the most exciting things to witness, especially when a group of people actively refuse to climb on the walls or jump across chasms," Maxie grumbled in return. The Team Magma grunts were always so willing to get a little dirty or get a little cut up scaling the rocks. Missions with them were fun. The Galactic grunts did nothing but complain. Cyrus also voiced his opposition in doing any hardcore activities. 

What was the point in excavating if the excavators refused to get their hands a little dirty? It was hard enough to navigate through a foreign cave system blindly. Trying to stay on the easiest path where minimal effort was required to make it through was practically impossible. Yet, for Camerupt's sake, Maxie was trying to be consistent in giving Cyrus just enough to make him content. Well, assuming Camerupt was still alive along with the rest of his team. At this point it was hard to be certain about anything. 

"Besides," Maxie continued. The chill in the air sent a harsh shiver down his back. He had to use everything in his power to not hug himself for warmth, or better yet move to Archie's side. "I believe we are getting close to an opening. We will step outside for a moment, place our surroundings, and then move forward with finding the passage to the peak." Maxie glanced over at Cyrus to see his face was as expressionless as ever. The cold didn't seem to both him, but that was no surprise given how he was made of ice. 

"Make it quick, in that case. The further north we go the more common it is for hikers to run into snow storms. If we are anywhere close to where we should be, we will run into an annoying amount of snow." 

Oh fun. The cold air nipping at his skin was getting to be too much for Maxie to handle. Throw in snow and he might as well let Cyrus throw him over the edge. 

Perhaps it was a regional difference. Sinnohians have been born and raised with the snow. Hoennians have never seen a flake of snow in their lives unless if they climbed up to the highest elevation of Mt. Chimney, and even then the snow there was limited. An "annoying amount of snow" was nothing less than a blinding white blizzard. Maxie sincerely did not want to step outside when he saw nothing but the flurry of flakes moving past the entrance. However, he didn't have much of a choice since Cyrus took the lead and stepped outside with no problem. The grunts stayed huddled together, but otherwise didn't show as much reluctance to step outside as Maxie did. He glanced at Archie and saw that he wasn't really in the world to notice what was going on, because of course he wasn't. He hesitantly reached out to take his hand, but let it drop back down by his side not a moment later. Not yet. Too risky. 

Maxie pulled his coat close to his body as he stepped out into the winter blunderland. So much for trying to get a sense of their surroundings. It was impossible to see anything through the wind and the snow. Protecting his face with his arm, Maxie did his very best to see if there was anything worth noting in the area. There wasn't much area for them to explore on this opening. It was a drop off more than anything else. One wrong move and off the edge they would go. There was a bit of hope for them though. On the other side of the linear path was another opening. There! Something new to explore so Cyrus could finally get off of his ass. The only thing that stood in their way was a large mound of snow. Camerupt would have easily taken care of something like that, but then again, Maxie would never put Camerupt in conditions like these. He never wanted to put Camerupt in harm's way to begin with. Oh, how he couldn't stop worrying about his partner. 

Cyrus seemed to already be on the case even without Maxie's prompting. He threw out a Pokeball and out came a Houndoom. The Pokemon winced at the cold air, but seemed to be able to shake it off. 

"Get rid of that snow. Flamethrower," Cyrus ordered. Houndoom barked before unleashing its flames onto the mounds. Some of it melted but...the rest wasn't going away. Instead, it was moving. Houndoom stopped the attack as the mound shifted, rising high above them. Speckles of green stood out against the white terrain. A low growl formed as the creature rose, only to be transformed into a loud roar once it was up on its two feet. The mound beside it followed the same suit, rising to its stumps for legs. It let out a roar as well. Maxie wasn't for sure if there was an echo or if this was triggering a chain reaction. 

"Great. Abomasnow," Cyrus grumbled as if this was simply a minor inconvenience and nothing more. "Houndoom, take care of them."

Houndoom growled and pounced into action, only to be swatted away with a backhanded swing from the Abomasnow that was attacked. He hit the side of the mountain, stray flames shooting out of his mouth upon impact. Houndoom quickly bounced back to his feet and shook off the attack. 

While Houndoom focused on one Abomasnow, the grunts focused their attacks to the other. Bronzors and Zubats surrounded the beast, only to be swatted away as well. Their was strength in numbers, but when trainers didn't care about their Pokemons' well being, the Pokemon stayed weak. In a battle between an annoyed, territorial Pokemon and a bunch of weak baby Pokemon who had no idea how to properly fight, all of the bets should be placed on the annoyed Pokemon. Zubats were dropping out of the sky, unable to fight both the Abomasnow and the blizzard they were stuck in. 

The Abomasnow let out another mighty roar before taking a charge at the group of grunts. The platform shook and the grunts scattered out of the way. 

Without any Pokemon to defend himself, Maxie was looking around for quite literally anything that he could use in a fight. There was Archie, but he didn't look like he was full aware of what was going on. Arceus, that bastard was going to get one, if not both of them, killed. He grit his teeth and trudged over to where Archie was. He grabbed his hand and pulled him down to Maxie's level. Even in this scenario his eyes were unfocused. "Archie, what in the world is wrong with you?" Maxie murmured. Archie shrugged, showing the first sign that he was aware of what was going on, kinda. 

The platform shook again. A few grunts screamed as they jumped out of the way of the Abomasnow's charge. Maxie's eyes went wide when he saw that the Pokemon was heading right toward them. His grip on Archie's tightened as he pulled the much larger man out of the way, shielding him with his thin frame as both of them plummeted to the snowy ground. The snow clung to his clothes and face, but there was too much adrenaline pumping through his system to make him realize just how cold it was. 

Maxie pulled himself up to his knees. Archie looked like he was finally coming into the world of the living. Just to give him a little more encouragement, Maxie slapped his cheek, holding back next to nothing. He didn't enjoy it, but it was the only thing he could think of. 

"Arceus, fuck!"

He was back.

"Here, get up," Maxie ordered. He held onto both of Archie's hands as he pulled the man back to his feet. 

Houndoom, despite having a significant advantage over Abomasnow, was having trouble landing a hit on the beast without getting knocked away. The grunts didn't stand a chance against the other one. Abomasnow charged again, missing the poor grunts once more. This time, it slammed right into the side of the mountain and let out a loud, vicious roar that definitely did echo in the vast nothingness. 

The roar triggered another mighty roar, but this one didn't sound like it came from another Pokemon. Instead, it sounded like it was coming from the mountain itself. 

The sound grew louder and louder. Maxie's eyes grew wide when he realized what exactly was going on. 

"Everyone, get to the next entrance!" he shouted. "Avalanche!"

The grunts wasted no time running to the next entrance. Still holding a tight grip on Archie's hand, Maxie led the way, only stopping when he realized that Cyrus was still putting up the useless fight. He knew better than to give the man advice on how not to get killed. If anything, he should be routing for the man to die. However, there was something stopping him. Something that he couldn't quite pinpoint. 

"Cyrus, this includes you!"

There was a strong possibility that Cyrus didn't hear him, but Maxie sincerely doubted that was the case.

"Archie, get inside. I'll be there shortly." Maxie released his grip on Archie's hand. Archie didn't release his. 

"Yeah, like hell I'm ditchin' ya."

"Now is not the time."

"Yeah, it really ain't the time for ya to start actin' stupid."

The avalanche was deafening to the point where Maxie couldn't even hear his own words. Chunks of snow fell onto their platform and their flight responses kicked into full gear. 

Unfortunately, the entrance was quickly blocked by the falling snow. There was no escaping the flood of white rapidly approaching them. Archie wrapped his arms around Maxie, shielding him from the unavoidable. Maxie closed his eyes as the flood of snow knocked them off of their feet.

////

Maxie was in complete agony. 

The first thing that he felt was the sheer cold. His body was freezing. It was freezing. It was sore. It was just an all around bad time. There was something off though. He didn't feel like he was completely buried in snow. He felt a small sliver of warmth on his side. It also felt like he was moving. Slowly, he opened his eyes, returning to the world of the living. He was surrounded by the white nothingness of this snowy terrain. Flakes still fell from the sky at a breakneck pace. The only color that he saw was quite literally right next to him.

With a groan, Maxie blinked and looked up again. The right lens of his glasses were cracked, creating more of an annoyance than anything else as he tried to take in the sight of Archie. 

"Archie?" Maxie murmured, his voice hoarse. 

"Mornin' sleeping beauty. Or better yet Snow White." Archie's face was harsh at he trudged against the snow, but it looked like it loosened up with relief when Maxie showed signs of life. 

The princess talk brought into light just what was going on. Archie must have found him in the snow. Instead of staying there, waiting for help, he chose to carry Maxie like a pretty princess to safety. There was an uncomfortable bump by Maxie's knee, and when he went to look, he found Archie was carrying another body. This one was slung over his shoulder. Since there were only three of them on the platform at the time of the avalanche, it was pretty safe to say who it was. 

"You can let me down," Maxie requested, even though he would be lying if he said he didn't like being carried in such a way. 

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Gently, Archie placed him back on his feet. Feet that sank maybe a foot into the snow. 

"I take it as we have no idea where we are, hm?" Maxie huddled close to Archie's side and took his hand into both of his. 

"Not a clue. It's hard to say where we were swept off to. Ain't seen an ounce of life nowhere. Or a place to take cover, for that matter."

"But you did find that bastard." Maxie nodded his head in Cyrus's direction. 

Archie shrugged. "He was just a few feet from me. Figured our asses would be hunted down by his minions if we let him die."

Fair enough. Maxie wasn't wanting to put up a fight right now. He couldn't even bring himself to talk all that much more. The world was so cold they very well could freeze in place if they didn't find some form of shelter. Both men were trembling like leaves in the wind.

But for the first time in a long time, something might be going their way. Off in the distance, a figure came into view. Maxie couldn't quite make it out. It looked rectangular, but that really could be anything. 

"Is that a house?" Archie murmured under his breath, making Maxie relieved beyond belief. Someone else saw it too! Someone who could actually see, nonetheless. 

"Very well could be," Maxie replied softly. "It's our best bet."

They both agreed that the object in the distance was probably going to be their only shot at finding a sanctuary, but the journey was by no means easy. How Archie walked in this carrying two dead weight bodies was nothing less than a mystery to Maxie. Maxie could barely keep himself up in this kind of snow. 

The closer they got, the more their hope was rejuvenated. It was indeed a house. None of the lights were on, so it was hard to say whether or not it was inhabited. The owners could very well be asleep. It was hard to determine what time it was, after all. However, Maxie wouldn't blame the owners if they just abandoned the building if they had to deal with this white shit all the time. 

Once they made it to the door, Maxie banged on the door while Archie peered through the window. "Anyone home?" Maxie called out. No lights, no response, no movement. 

Perfect. 

Maxie tried to get the door open himself by turning the knob and putting all of his weight behind his pushes and pulls, but it didn't so much as budge.

"Archie-"

"Yeah, I'm on it." The man knew him so well. The door was frozen to the frame, but Archie has yet to find a door he can't open with brute force alone. He threw himself against the door once, twice, and finally the door threw itself open on the third time. Archie stumbled in and Maxie quickly ran in, closing the door behind him. 

The house was small. It looked it was a single room apartment that managed to squeeze its way out of the building it used to reside in and live out its life in snowy isolation. A sink and counter lined the wall on the right. A fireplace with a wooden rocking chair was on the opposite side of the building. Between the two was a bed that lacked any thick and warm blankets. It wasn't much, but it was something. 

Archie let Cyrus's unconscious body fall to the floor as gracefully as a bird getting shot out of the sky. Now that there was an open space available, Maxie moved in and buried himself against Archie's torso. 

"I hate this fucking region," Maxie complained through chattering teeth. 

"I ain't much of a fan either."

The house was cold, but it was no where near as cold as the air outside. They needed to get moving. There was a fireplace they could see about lighting. But right now, the only thing either of them could do was stand still and hold each other, desperate to find at least a little bit of warmth. 

Maxie looked up at Archie. His eyes were closed so it was hard to say where his mind was right now. He's been spacing out at the strangest of times. He gently patted his hairy cheek, letting out a soft sigh when he saw those blue eyes flutter open. This is the first time in a long while that they were actually alone. Well, he supposed that the unconscious body of the Team Galactic leader didn't really count as being "present."

"Archie...talk to me."

Archie quirked a brow. "It's fucking cold? Is that what you wanna talk about?"

Maxie shook his head before resting it against the crook of Archie's neck. "You haven't been yourself as of late." He didn't see it, but Maxie could feel Archie's eye roll.

"That's what you wanna talk about? Feelings? We're trapped in a blizzard, mate."

"And I believe you've been trapped in your mind as of late," Maxie countered, slightly annoyed that he was met with opposition, but then again this was Archie. He couldn't expect anything else. "It isn't like I can move right now, anyhow."

"Yeah, well, a heart to heart ain't gonna warm either of us up." It took him a solid moment, but he released Maxie and moved to inspect the fireplace. There had to be some way to light it without summoning Cyrus's demon dog. 

In Archie's absence, Maxie wrapped his arms around himself. His frustration with Archie was always more than enough to get him heated. He just wished they would stop this constant back and forth bickering. "You could have been thrown off the cliff by that Abomasnow if I hadn't been there to pull you aside! Archie, something is going on with you and I can't help you if you don't let me know."

As he normally did when he was getting really annoyed with Maxie's antics, Archie threw his head back. This time he was good enough to stifle the groan that wanted to escape his lips. "Well forgive me if I ain't too happy 'bout bein' a servant to a team that wants to destroy the world." He knelt down by the fireplace and moved the old charred pieces of wood around, probably to see if it was still good enough to burn. 

Maxie decided to make himself useful by looking around the abandoned house to see if there was actually anything to light a fire. He never thought that he would miss the days when he smoked like Mt. Chimney, but at least back in those days he carried a lighter wherever he went. 

"That's just it." Maxie closed one of the doors under the sink after seeing it only had cobwebs. "Every time something displeased you, you sought to change it. It's mere existence lit a fire under you." "It" primarily referred to the former Team Magma leader himself. "Now...there's nothing. No devious grin. No life in your eyes. It's almost as if Cyrus has an anti-emotion disease and you are an unfortunate victim of it."

The room was silent. Unbearably so. Every last one of Maxie's words hung in the air, crushing him with their weight. Maxie didn't even realize that he had stopped searching through the cabinets to stare at an unmoving Archie. 

"The only fire we need now is one to go in this here fireplace," Archie finally said. Maxie opened up the cabinet door just to slam it shut. 

"I have absolutely no idea what you did with the Archie I know, but frankly, I would like that Archie back," he snapped.

"It was that Archie that got us stuck in this mess to begin with!" Archie snapped right back, rising to his feet. "Cyrus fucking idolizes us. Me especially. He told me that himself. This fucking psychopath was inspired by my idea to make the world into a clean slate. I fucked up! I get that! But I'm just constantly reminded over and over again that no matter what I do or how much I try to change, I'm always going to be haunted by my mistakes. They're a part of me that I ain't gettin' rid of. Good! I don't deserve the mercy of forgettin' who I really am. It's tiring. It's exhaustin'. But I deserve it."

Archie could barely make eye contact the entire time he spoke. He opened up and Maxie didn't like a single thing he heard. There were two paths he could go about this; sweet or sour. Knowing Archie, coddling him just wouldn't work. Good. Maxie didn't want to do that anyway. 

With a click of his tongue, Maxie stepped forward. "So that's it then, hm? Just because you made some stupid mistakes in the past means you can just give up now?"

"I ain't sayin' that. What I'm sayin'-"

"You sure as hell are acting like it though." Maxie may have been freezing, but he let his arms fall to his sides before tucking them behind his back and puffing out his chest to look bigger than what he was. "You, the proud and fierce Archie Aogiri, are letting some nihilist millennial get the better of you. You are just playing into his game and you don't even realize it." Archie opened his mouth to talk but Maxie kept on going. He was so sick and tired of being interrupted all the time. "Regretting the choices you have made and using that as an excuse to wallow in self-pity will do absolutely nothing for us right now. We can say all we want about Cyrus," Maxie glanced over at him just to make sure he was down for the count, "but he has drive. He knows what his goal is and he's determined to reach it. We can't stop him if you continue to sulk about everything you have done in the past. You can't change it. The future is ever changing though. The future may not exists for us if we allow Cyrus to have his way. This is bigger than anything we have ever tried to do, and we've awaken actual slumbering gods. I can't do this without you, Archie."

Archie crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the floor, kicking the specs of dust that littered the wood. "I...I don't-"

"So you of all people have given up," Maxie was quick to snap. He strode over to Archie, only stopping when there were mere inches separating them. "I always thought that I would bask in the day when Archie Aogiri himself crumbled in defeat, but right now I feel nothing but shame."

Maxie could see some red creeping onto his cheeks. He knew that if there was one thing that never failed to get Archie worked up, it was Maxie calling him a pussy. Whatever was going on through his mind as stopped and switched gears. 

"What I was gonna say," Archie started, "was that I don't think we got a twelve year old to get us out of this one." Maxie smirked as he saw some of the life coming back to Archie. "I dunno what it is 'bout that guy, but he's fuckin' draining." Archie stepped closer and rested his hands on Maxie's waist. Maxie was more than welcoming to the advance. "You're right. I've been lettin' his dreary ass get to me. I've been thinkin' about a lot of shit lately, but I keep on forgetting how good it's gonna feel when we make that bastard watch his empire topple right on top of him."

There wasn't a word in those statements that Maxie didn't like. Archie was an attractive man, but admitting that he was wrong while also talking about taking down an enemy just added to his attractiveness ten fold. 

"He will certain rue the day that he decided to mess with the great Maxie and, I suppose, the mighty Archie," Maxie mused, resting a hand on top of his chest. Cyrus's unconscious body was long forgotten about as he pulled Archie down to give him a longing kiss. While in Galactic captivity, their passionate moments have came far and few between. In this blizzard, Maxie felt like they would be safe for a while. 

Maxie ran his pale hand through the back of Archie's thick and greying locks. The warmth he gave off felt magnificent against his chilled skin. Archie was just as eager as Maxie was. The space between the was nonexistent but Archie continued to step forward, only stopping when Maxie's hips were pinned to the edge of the bed. 

"Y'know," Archie gasped when he momentarily broke away from the kiss. Maxie refused to let him say more. The heat between them felt so nice Maxie didn't want to stop. Only when Archie made muffled sounds of protest did he tone it down a notch. "I'm still fuckin' freezin'."

"As am I. Your point?" The impatient man inquired. 

"There's a better way to get some heat goin'." He smirked. Archie was definitely right. Just the mere suggestion was enough to get Maxie's cheeks heated. However, this is different from when they were just messing around on the couch, bored out of their minds. Maxie never let them escalate their more passionate moments to anything more than the two of them getting hot and bothered. What could he say? He just never felt ready. Now...things were different. 

"I don't suppose you're talking about the fireplace anymore," he teased against his lips. His cheeks were red but the grin on his face was enough to tell Archie he wasn't the least bit embarrassed. If anything, he was into this. "You better not disappoint. I'm freezing and I wish for nothing more than to feel some heat on my skin again."

"Well," Archie started with a grin before going in for another kiss, momentarily breaking away to add, "I like a good challenge." His lips trailed down from Maxie's lips to his neck. Maxie tilted his head, biting his lip to keep himself from getting too excited too quickly. No amount of self control could have prevented the soft gasp from escaping his lips when he felt Archie's sharper than they should be teeth from biting into his skin. In retaliation, Maxie tugged on a nice chunk of his hair. Those pleased sounds didn't sound anything like protests. 

Maxie's other hand slowly ran down his muscular chest and stomach, only for it to slip under his shirt and run right back up his body. Archie flinched away due to the coldness of his hand, but was quick to ease into him. Archie slyly rocked his hips as he worked on bringing some color out of Maxie's pale neck. Maxie's bones were thawing with every movement, both from Archie's and his own when he got over a brief wave of flusteredness and pressed his body into Archie's. 

Maxie's hands slipped out of his shirt and his hair. Would he have ever believed that he would want to undress Archie while they were stuck in an unheated house while escaping a blizzard? Oh hell no. Was he complaining? Not really. His hands slipped under Archie's jacket and with the man's cooperation, the jacket was thrown to the ground, soon followed by his tight shirt. Archie has always been a fan of flaunting himself off. Maxie doubted he would have worn that horrid wetsuit and kept the cut so low if he was a modest man. However, has only been a recent trend that Maxie liked what he saw, even if one of his lenses was cracked. 

Taking in the sight of Archie's bare, muscular torso was short lived. Archie's lips found their rightful spot back on Maxie's lips. The force behind all of Archie's movements forced Maxie to sit on the bed. The bed creaked and Maxie giggled against Archie's lips. This was probably the first time in years this best has been used and it was forced to deal with the shenanigans of two horny and cold runaway fugitives. Maxie wrapped his arms around Archie's neck and Archie's hands ran up and down Maxie's back, taking in all the curves that formed from years upon years of forcing himself to stand and sit up a little too straight. 

When Maxie felt Archie mimic him by slipping his cold hands under his shirt, he tensed up for a moment. Were they really going to do this?The friction going on below his waist said yes. Maxie was hesitant for only a moment before aiding Archie in his quest to throw his coat to the floor. Once his shirt was thrown off as well, Archie crawled up on the bed with him, forcing Maxie further back to keep Archie from sitting in his lap. He doubted his Torchic legs would be able to handle that kind of weight. 

"I think it is the first time I've actually seen your skin," Archie teased and kissed the crook of the other side of his neck. The side that wasn't currently forming purple and blue spots. "I was startin' to think ya didn't have any. Like the manufacturer didn't have enough tissue to cover you up when you were shipped out of whatever robot factory ya came from."

"Oh hush." Maxie lightly slapped his arm, not that it would have hurt the larger man to begin with. "I'm convinced you truly are part Sharpedo with how sharp those teeth are."

"I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Maxie's arms stayed wrapped around Archie's neck, but Archie was clearly the more eager one of the two. His hands trailed down Maxie's sides and continued on to caress his thighs. Curious hands went a little further until one reached his crotch, grinning at the touch of the bulge in his pants. Maxie's face was as red as his hair, for rightful reasons. 

As much as Maxie was enjoying this, it has also been a hot minute since he has gotten this intimate with someone. It had to be before Team Magma for sure. He didn't want to leave Archie hanging, but he just needed a moment to gather himself. A moment that Archie didn't want to wait around with. 

Without hearing any protests, Archie palmed that bulge until he got a quiet, shaky moan out of Maxie. Admittedly, it didn't take that long to do. Archie unbuttoned his pants, and since he didn't want to wait around for Maxie to build up a nerve, he unbuttoned his own pants while he was down there like the killjoy he was. 

Maxie was losing multiple opportunities to run his hands over Archie's body here and that was completely unacceptable in his eyes. Pale hands snaked down dark skin until they slipped down into the hem of Archie's now loose pants. Maxie managed to pull them down to the middle of his thighs while Archie did the rest and kicked them off, now allowing himself to be fully exposed to the elements. Archie's fingers tugged down Maxie's boxers, but Maxie wasn't ready to get rid of his last articles of clothing just yet. He might as well have though since his dick was finally free and exposed to the cold Sinnoh air. 

Maxie prided himself on being a man of caliber. He had always performed the best in academic settings. He was the feared leader of Team Magma. He excelled in practically everything he did. 

However, even the most extraordinary of men had to be average in something. 

Archie...couldn't relate. 

Maxie tried not to focus on it too much, but it was impossible not to.

"I can always give ya a picture," Archie snickered, causing Maxie to short circuit for a moment as he tried to think of an equally witty remark. Before he could try to sputter out a response, Archie softly kissed his lips and wrapped his now warm hand against Maxie's shaft. "Just relax."

"I am relaxed!" he sputtered like he had a wine opener shoved in his ass. "It's just...been a while."

"All the more reason to relax then." Archie started to slowly move his hand, stroking Maxie's shaft in all the right ways. Maxie bit the bottom of his lip, loving all of the warm sensations he was feeling from such a small action. There was also the anticipation for more things to come. 

Resting his head on Archie's shoulder, Maxie finally reached down and took Archie's length into his own hand. Well, what he could grasp. Instead of stroking him, Maxie wanted to be a little more of a tease. His thumb circled around his crown, teasing his tip in such a way that made Archie curse under his breath. Maxie grinned to himself.

That shit eating grin didn't stay on his face for too long. Archie pushed him back into the bed, causing him to yelp in surprise. The warmth of Archie's hand left his shaft and instead pulled down Maxie's pants all the way to his ankles. Now that he was really getting into things, Maxie was more than happy to kick them off. 

"I dunno 'bout you, but I'm feelin' all kinds of hot right now. Hot an' bothered."

Maxie rolled his eyes. "Don't be cheesy. If you're going to fuck me, then go right ahead. The last thing I want is to feel like I'm in some mediocre porno."

"Oh, I assure you I ain't mediocre."

"Less telling, more showing," Maxie challenged with a smirk. One in which Archie matched as he lined himself up with Maxie's entrance, cautiously pushing himself in. Maxie winced. Without some preparation it was a little hard for Maxie to get adjusted, but fortunately Archie was being patient with him. 

"Okay...okay. I'm good. Just be gentle," he instructed. 

"Aye, aye." Archie took those orders to heart. As much as he wanted to get this show on the road, he also didn't want to murder Maxie. His movements were slow and gentle. It was by no means satisfactory, but it was enough to get Maxie adjusted. The fire in his belly wanted more fuel, and so that was exactly what it was going to get. 

"I'm good. You're good. You can kick it up a notch or two," he breathed out. 

"You think the great Maxie can handle me?" Archie teased as his thrusts immediately began to pick up. Maxie was just about to say something, but a sharp gasp cut him off. The bed creaked with every move, but that was the least of Maxie's concerns. He was too caught up in how amazing Archie felt as he pounded into him. Hot, breathy moans escaped the both of them, parts of it landing on the other's skin. He couldn't get enough of Archie. He found his hands roaming all over his perfectly toned body, taking in all of the curves from his muscles. 

Maxie was really getting into it now. The cold air wasn't bothering him anymore now that he had Archie as the world's best heater. Being cushioned between the man and the bed felt heavenly, but Maxie was getting just a little frustrated with not being in full control here. 

"Archie...Archie..." he panted out after looking over to his side. "I think Cyrus is waking up."

Within an instant, Archie stopped and looked over to the still unconscious man. Maxie grinned deviously and used this opportunity to push Archie back on his knees, going along with the ride until he was comfortably straddling his waist. 

"Made you look."

"You sly bastard!" Archie laughed. "I don't think I can recover. He's such a turn off."

"Then stop looking at him and look at me."

"But I know he's there now. Kinda forgot 'bout that. How am I supposed to go on with this knowledge?"

"You'll forget about him soon enough," Maxie murmured against his skin with as much confidence as a small child writing four as the answer to two plus two. Needless to say, a lot. Maxie cupped his bearded cheek and kissed him sweetly. His hips rocked against Archie's, causing both men to moan in pleasure. Archie's hands ran all over Maxie's back as the man worked his magic. Archie soon found a rhythm that worked wonders with the one Maxie had created. Their bodies were radiating heat at this point. Maxie buried his face into the crook of Archie's neck, giving him sweet kisses and mumbling sweet nothings against his skin. Archie was by no means afraid of letting his needy moans fill the empty house. Maxie had a joke about triggering another avalache, but his language was starting to fail him the warmer the fire in his stomach grew. Archie felt so amazing, especially now that he was repeatedly hitting that sweet, sweet spot of his. The more he thrust right into it, the more vocal Maxie became as well. Vocal with nothing important to say. Well, unless Archie's name counted as being important. 

With the rhythm they worked out and the force Archie put behind his movements, Maxie's climax was nothing short of blissful. Most of his load shot out and landed on Archie's torso, but a little bit landed on his own. That was definitely something he could deal with later. Shortly after Maxie had reached his climax, Archie was announcing his impending climax much louder than Maxie would have liked. His movements were getting sloppy, but before Maxie could tease the poor man he felt the warmth of Archie's load fill him up. 

Maxie pushed himself off of Archie and both men fell back into the bed. Both were breathless as they soaked up their post-orgasmic states for all they were worth. Maxie took Archie's hand in his own, gently kissing the back of it. Archie used his other hand to pull Maxie in close. Doofy smiles were plastered on both of their faces. 

"You weren't kidding when you said you weren't mediocre," Maxie laughed lightly. 

"Oh? So you doubted me?" he teased and kissed Maxie's cheek. 

Maxie wanted nothing more than to stay like. He was warm and comfortable in Archie's protective arms. Not to mention he could look at Archie's beautiful face until the final days. That sparkle of life in those deep blue eyes were probably Maxie's favorite thing about him. 

The two stayed quiet for a long time. This time is wasn't out of ill feelings. Rather, they were perfectly content with simply soaking in this moment. No words needed to be said. However, Archie finally sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. 

"I think it's 'bout time we do somethin' with the bastard here."

Oh yeah. Cyrus. He was still here.

"Arceus, is he still knocked out?" Maxie sat up and saw that the man was still in the last place Archie put him. 

"Yup." The wheels in Archie's head were turning and his mischievous smile gave that away. 

"What are you thinking about?" Maxie asked and scooted to the edge of the bed to retrieve his discarded clothes. 

"I bet that he would freak out if he woke up to a naked man," Archie replied, stroking his beard. "I could just say it was for warmth and nothing else."

"Arceus, that is awful!" Maxie picked up his pants and slid them on. "Put him near the wall so he won't have an easy time getting out."

Archie laughed loudly and flashed an award winning smile Maxie's way. "That's so evil, I love it!"

Before Archie could get up to fetch the man, Maxie stopped him to give him one last kiss. It was hard to say when they would have another moment like this. Cyrus would wake up, they would figure out a means to get out of the blizzard, and things would go back to normal. Right now, Maxie wanted to make this last few, fleeting moments with Archie last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!!!! Ya'll wanted some sexy times so finally, twenty chapters in, ya'll gonna get some sexy times. I've never written anything nsfw like this before so I hope that I delivered! This chapter was a weird one, I know, but sometimes that's just how things go. As always, feel free to leave any questions/comments/concerns in the comments below or hmu at authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: A sacrifice and an escape


	21. Bad Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie and Maxie really need to stop making plans because things never work out in their favor. 
> 
> Also, here's a fair warning for talks of death and some violence.

The icy wind of a powerful blizzard didn't even compare to the cold air surrounding the table the Galactic commanders where currently gathered around. 

Even though a week had passed since Maxie, Archie, and Cyrus were rescued from their near icy demise, it was still the talk of the grunts. They were so worried about their dear leader. However, Cyrus had woken up shortly after Archie and Maxie's intimate moment together. 

For months, Archie has wanted nothing more than for Cyrus to get off of his back. As it turns out, all it took was flaunting off what his mama gave him to make that happen. Cyrus hasn't so much as looked at him in the past week, let alone call him in for one of their private meetings surrounding the creation of a new world. 

For the first time in quite a while, things felt like they were going right in the most bare minimum way possible. Cyrus wasn't bothering him and dragging him down. Archie still found himself being snapped back to reality by Saturn or Maxie every so often, but he wasn't spacing out nearly as bad as he was. Cyrus truly was a parasite. Either that or Maxie was doing a great job at keeping him grounded. Dare he say, Maxie made a pretty good anchor. 

Maxie's eyes also made pretty good daggers.

The six commanders have had their fair share of meetings over the past few months, but Cyrus was always there to keep them in order and focused. This time, Cyrus had claimed that he had business in Hearthome to attend to, leaving the commanders to fend for themselves with their meeting. 

Without Cyrus around, things were definitely more lax. Saturn conducted the meeting, meaning that Archie felt free to not pay even the slightest amount of attention to what he had to say. He wanted to spread the grunt stations out further and see about recruiting more blah blah blabbity blah blah. He knew that he should be paying attention because the more he knew about the team, the easier it would be to find the weak spots, but he felt like it was safe to leave it to Maxie this round. 

At least, he thought so. 

Maxie seemed to be distracted as well. His eyes were staring the sharpest daggers Archie has ever seen into Jupiter. Jupiter didn't pay the slightest mind to him. Rather, she was distracted with taking quick glances over Archie's direction. By now, her advances and actions have became less uncomfortable and more annoying than anything else. No matter how many times Archie told her to fuck off, she always came right back to him like the world's most annoying and useless boomerang. 

Mars giggled when she caught sight of Maxie's expression, leading Saturn to trail off from what he was saying and place his hands on his hips. 

"I know that what I'm saying is critically important, but I also don't believe that it is humorous in any way," he scolded, causing Mars to slide down in her chair as if hiding from his glare. "What seems to be so funny?"

"Oh...nothing," she lied sheepishly.

"Enough hounding the poor girl," Jupiter said, snapping her fingers up in the air to draw the attention away from the youngest commander. 

"I agree," Maxie stated. "Solely because the problem doesn't lie so much with Mars as it does with you, Jupiter."

Jupiter gasped in shock. Charon seemed to have choked on his drool momentarily and jolted back into the waking world right at the wrong time. 

"Excuse me?!" Jupiter gaped. 

"You heard me," Maxie countered. 

"Mercury, Jupiter keep it orderly." Saturn tried to interfere, but eyes were locked and the only way that these two were going to calm down was if they were pried away from one another. The desk put some space between them, but it was definitely not enough to keep them at bay. 

"Well, I have no idea why you're attacking me," she scoffed.

"I know damn well you do. You have done nothing but gawk in Archie's direction ever since he entered the room." Maxie kept his words level, but there was more than enough venom in his tone to kill a person. "It's unprofessional, and frankly, disgusting."

Archie wanted nothing more than to clasp a hand on Maxie's back and cheer him on, but they still trying to keep their relationship hidden from these off brand astronauts. The most he could do here was scratch his beard and watch as Maxie tore this bitch apart. 

"Maxie, it's not your problem," Archie said even though he really didn't want this to stop. Maxie was smart enough to know that Archie didn't mean it. 

"It may be, but once I have to start seeing such moronic and ineffective advances on full display, then it becomes my problem," Maxie stated, only glancing at Archie. His main focus was Jupiter right now. 

"I have never-!" she started but Maxie cut her off. 

"Oh please." He rolled his eyes. "Don't act as though this is an isolated incident. Not a day goes by when you aren't attached to his hip, or rather, fondling his arms or finding some way to get your hands on him. It is actually sickening."

"Okay, okay, enough!" Saturn exclaimed, momentarily losing his cool by slamming his open palms on the desk, only to straighten up a second later now that all eyes were on him. "We are all grown adults here. There is no sense in being victims to such petty, high school drama." 

"There wouldn't be any drama here if someone stayed in his own lane," Jupiter scowled. 

"Speak for yourself," scoffed Maxie. 

"Quiet, both of you!" Saturn ordered."Honestly, if Master Cyrus were here he would be ashamed of such behavior."

Like hell either Archie or Maxie cared about what few feelings Cyrus still held. 

Saturn pinched the bridge of his nose when he saw that he wasn't getting through to anyone in the room. "We will have a short five minute break for everyone to cool down. Afterwards, we need to get moving with the plans of establishing bases in four new cities. You are dismissed." There was no doubt that as soon as everyone left, Saturn was going to rest his head against the table and forget to live for a while. The Cyrus virus was truly contagious.

At the dismissal, Mars took Jupiter's hands before those same hands found their way around Maxie's neck. "C'mon. We need to fix your buns," Mars said softly, dragging her friend away from the impending fight. She was quick to leave the scene with Jupiter, exiting through the door before Maxie could even stand up. 

Archie could feel the heat radiating from the otherwise unnaturally cold man. They left the room as well, taking a much needed breather in the hallway. None of the grunts were in sight, the girls had probably gone to the bathroom to escape, and Charon was probably going to stay in the room to take a quick old man nap. They should be safe. 

Archie crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. He had to admit, he liked the way Maxie's face got all red and huffy while a green eyed monster was coursing through his veins. 

"I really don't like her," Maxie huffed.

"You had me fooled," Archie quipped, receiving a warning glance from Maxie in return. "Okay, okay, listen. I don't like her either, but I just kinda deal with it."

"You shouldn't have to 'just deal with it' though. It's absolutely repulsive and I am actually sick of seeing it."

"I say fight her," said Maxie's overly supportive partner. "Since we don't have our Pokemon I say go in a bare knuckle brawl."

"You would like to see that, wouldn't you?"

"Kinda." Archie snickered as Maxie shoved his shoulder. Maxie took another glance around before resting his head on Archie's previously shoved shoulder. Short moments of affection weren't ideal, but it was enough to get them by. 

"Speaking about our Pokemon, I've been doing some thinking as of late," he mumbled quiet enough that Archie actually had to put effort into hearing him. "We haven't seen them in months. It's hard to say whether or not they're even alive at this point." Maxie pushed himself off of Archie so they could meet eye to eye. A chill went down his back when he saw remorse and reluctance in Maxie's green eyes. "I love my Pokemon with all of my heart. I truly do, and you of all people should know that-"

"Max, I don't-"

"Just listen, please," he pleaded softly. "It's been months and we've found no sign of them. They could be in a different facility for all we know. A facility that we are not going to have access to so long as we stay trapped in here." Maxie gently took Archie's hand in his own and gave it a squeeze. "One of us needs to get out of here."

There were so many things wrong with Maxie's logic that Archie could only stand and stare at him, completely awestruck. He would have even laughed if it had not been for the grief that was set deep into Maxie's eyes. "Maxie, that's probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say. I can't just leave Sharpedo or any of my other Pokemon to die! And what's this about just one of us leavin'?"

"Well-" Maxie wouldn't have been able to come up with a comeback so quickly if he didn't put any thought into this. "We're doing good work in terms of keeping Team Galactic from reaching their goal, but I fear that our efforts aren't going to be enough if both of us stay here. By seeing what's going on in the outside world, we can-"

"We can get our Pokemon killed, that's what we're gonna do," Archie interrupted. "We can't let them suffer on our behalf!"

"We already are, Archie!" Maxie's voice was stern as he threw Archie's hand out of his own. That moment of fury didn't last long. The fire in his eyes was extinguished as his eyes grew wetter. Maxie refused to let actual tears form. "That's why...the moment an opportunity shows itself, I'm going to be the one to escape. I've lost too much sleep thinking about all of the pain and suffering I have put my Pokemon through. Cyrus will punish my team, not yours. Since I won't be here to watch their agony, he will probably go on and finish them off. I've...already accepted it as a mercy kill."

Archie had no idea what to think. His mouth was getting dry from how his jaw stayed constantly open. "I think you've actually gone out of your goddamn mind. Where was I when you made this decision? What happened to us tearing this place apart together?"

"I still can't do this without you. Through our combined efforts we can reduce this team to rubble, but our strategy right now is not working."

"Even then, I ain't 'bout to sit by and watch your Pokemon get murdered."

"Then I recommend closing your eyes."

The air was thick between them. Maxie has always been full of stupid ideas, but this is by far the stupidest Archie has ever heard. He knew how stubborn the man could be, but he needed to think of something, anything, that would snap some sense back into this man.

Unfortunately, right as Archie's cranks started turning, blaring sirens and flashing red lights from above were enough to bring things to a complete halt. Both men jumped at the sudden alarms. Despite the heat still wafting around both of them from their argument, Archie placed a protective arm around Maxie to hold him close, only to release him a moment later when grunts flooded the halls. 

"The fuck is going on?!" Archie shouted over the noise.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

They were mere milliseconds away from going back inside the room when Saturn came bursting out with Charon by his side. Archie has never seen an old man move so fast before. 

"Police raid on the first floor!" Saturn announced without prompting. "Gather some grunts and fight them off. Steal their Pokemon if you have to. Do whatever it takes to get the authorities out of here, or at the very least distracted long enough for Mars and Jupiter to get confidential documents out of here."

Without another word directed towards them, Saturn and Charon took off down the hallway. Maxie moved in the opposite direction, only to be stopped when Archie grabbed his hand. Archie didn't even need to look at him to know what he was thinking. Opportunity couldn't have presented itself at a more plot convenient time. "Max, don't do this."

Maxie was still for a second before making an attempt to move Archie forward with him. "We've escaped from the police for this long. This is not how I want to get caught. Come on."

For the first time in the last five minutes, Maxie had a point. Archie nodded and jogged beside of him, bumping into grunts all the way. Maxie seemed to know where he was going while Archie was just here for the ride and to make sure Maxie didn't do anything stupid. 

"Shaymin and Manaphy," Maxie said through heavy breaths. He wasn't the young man he used to be anymore who could run a mile with only minimal wheezing. "This is the perfect time to get them out of here."

"See, this is the kind of set back I like talkin' about," Archie said, having no trouble keeping his stamina high. Now that he knew exactly what was going on through Maxie's head, he was able to take the lead. Shaymin's chamber was closer. After months of fighting and construction, Maxie still hasn't gotten Shaymin into a larger confinement. 

"Freeze, Sunyshore City Police!" a voice shouted behind them. Footsteps ran frantically against the metal flooring from all parties. Archie grabbed Maxie's hand and helped pull him along, remembering all of the turns they needed to take in order to get to the laboratory.

The metal doors came into sight. With his free hand, Archie pulled his card out of his pocket and was quick to swipe it across the keypad. The doors opened and the men ran inside. Knowing that they wouldn't close fast enough, Archie released Maxie's hand and grabbed a discarded computer chair. The cop ran in just in time to get a face full of metal as Archie swung the chair at him. He went down as the doors closed, allowing the men to have a brief moment of solace. 

While Archie knelt down and grabbed the cop's handcuffs, cuffing him to the nearest desk that didn't look like it could be moved easily, Maxie ran to the terrarium. He was completely out of breath but couldn't afford to stop. 

When Archie looked back at Maxie, the tiny Pokemon was already in his arms, sniffing the air. Thanks to Maxie's care, there wasn't an ounce of brown on the creature. Its fur was as lively as ever.

"We got Shaymin. Now we need Manaphy. From there, you got any ideas on how we're gonna get them outside?" Archie spoke.

"Wing it..." Came Maxie's breathless reply. It was just one shock after the other with this man today now wasn't it?

They poked their heads out of the laboratory. The moment they deemed it was safe, they ran back out into the halls. Grunts and officers alike were battling through the halls. Archie had no idea how long this raid must have been planned. As far as he knew, no one batted an eye at the base, but then again, Archie and Maxie have only been outside of the base only once or twice during these past imprisoned months. Maxie was right, in a way. Knowing what was going on in the outside world would help them out, but Maxie's plan was too rash for Archie's liking. He, Archie, the king of bad ideas, never thought that he would be thinking that. 

Turning the corner to the corridor Manaphy resided, Archie saw nothing but a wall of dark blue uniforms and trained Pokemon such as Luxios, Koffings, and Granbulls by their sides. He skidded to a stop and pushed himself back behind the corner. He grabbed the back of Maxie's collar and pulled him back as well. He was thankful for the blaring alarms to cover up Maxie's choked grunt and desperate breaths. 

"Dammit!" Archie grumbled. There had to be something they could use to distract the guards. They had a mythical Pokemon by their side. Surely there was some way they could take advantage of that. However, there wasn't much Shaymin could do in a metallic building. A Sweet Scent or anything of the sorts would just lead the cops right to them. "We need to find another way in."

"This is the only way in," Maxie panted. "The last thing in the hallway is a dead end. You always take the brute force approach."

"Yeah, when I had a Sharpedo and an army of competent grunts by my side to make that shit easy. These grunts are fucking stupid. Using them will be how we get caught."

"Hey, you two!" Another voice shouted from behind them. This cop was buddied up with a Growlithe. A Growlithe that wasted no time pouncing into action. Archie grabbed Maxie's arm and pulled him down the opposite, clearer hallway. That one cop had set the other ones on alert. They needed to find a way out of here, or at the very least a temporary safe haven. A safe haven they could hide in until the coast was clear and they could safely retrieve Manaphy. That's also assuming that someone hasn't already grabbed it. 

"Flamethrower!" the cop shouted. Archie picked up his pace into a dead sprint to turn the corner before they could be fried. Stray flames bounced off of the wall. Archie looked behind them to see they had no comfort zone between them. That distance was cut down significantly when a few grunts ran out of their laboratory doors, crashing right into them. Archie staggered to the side and would have fallen down if he wasn't so close to the wall. Maxie wasn't as lucky. He toppled over a grunt. A loosened grip and built up momentum sent Shaymin flying. The poor creature squealed in distress, loud enough to be heard over the sirens. Archie jumped forward and grabbed it like a furry football before it could go splat against the ground. He held it close to his chest. Shaymin immediately curled up into a ball and tried to hide in probably the safest place in this building. Maxie could wish he was so lucky.

Maxie was quick to get back on his feet, barely avoiding the grasp of one of the officers. He may not have had in the best lungs in the world, but anything was possible when high amounts adrenaline was pumping through his system. There were also a few grunts to take the downfall for them as they made their hasty escape. Part of the reason why Archie went into hiding was to protect his grunts, his crew. He made sure that not a single document was left that could indicate certain names and faces were ever a part of Team Aqua. They didn't deserve to go down. These Galactic grunts have done nothing to warrant his protection. 

Archie's pulse pounded against his head. They needed to move faster and think quicker. Every heavy step they took against the metallic ground was just another step toward their ultimate downfall. 

All of the doors held mysteries behind them. There was no way in saying what was safe and what was dangerous. He was so sick and tired of taking risks, but one needed to be made if they were going to get away from the cops on their tails. 

Picking a door at random, Archie stopped and slide his keycard in, rushing inside the second he had access. The Growlithe leaped in to catch them, but the doors shut right in front of its face. A thud could be heard from the other side along with painful whimpers. 

Both men were completely out of breath. Their chests heaved as though heavy slates were piled on top of them. Despite their desperate need for air, a sudden strong urge to kiss Maxie washed over Archie, but the fact that the other man was coughing up a lung prevented him from carrying through with that plan. It was hard to say what their future was going to look like. 

They, or one of them, could be caught. This could very well be the last time they saw each other. This could also be their only chance of an actual escape. 

An escape that could be covered up by the raid. 

They could find out where their Pokemon are being located all before Cyrus figures out that they weren't taken into custody. 

They could stay by each other's side. 

All they had to do was figure out how to get Manaphy and then make an escape. Unlike Maxie, Archie wasn't willing to sacrifice any Pokemon. Sure, Manaphy was too valuable to kill, but there was no doubt in Archie's mind that Saturn and Jupiter would not bat an eye to hurt the creature. Manaphy needed to be out in the wild, in the sea, much like how Shaymin needed to get out of this metallic hellscape. 

Archie opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by an annoyed hiss. Both men whipped their heads around them, only to find a defensive Purugly staring them down. Archie was about to fight the Pokemon himself using the rage he held of being completely fed up with absolutely everything, but then he saw a petite yet familiar girl off to the side, frantically typing away at one of the many computers that lined the walls. This one was the largest and the only one with a lit up monitor. Mars turned her head towards the door, seeming to relax at the sight of her fellow commanders. 

"Neptune, Mercury, thank Arceus you're here!" she sighed out. "Purugly, baby, be nice." The Pokemon stuck her little pink nose in the air and scampered back to her owner's feet. 

Archie and Maxie looked at one another before Archie spoke up. "Lass, what're ya doin' in here?"

"Getting as many of our documents as I can before this place is raided." The metal door was banged on again and again and again. With every thud, Mars tensed up tighter and tighter. "I know that you two don't have any Pokemon," other than Shaymin but Archie was sure she was too big in a hurry to notice, "but can you please please please make sure no one gets in here until I'm finished. I've been relying on that card reader a little too much."

"We can probably keep them out," Archie said, looking around for anything that could be used to block the door. He caught sight of Maxie's wandering eyes and saw that he was looking towards the windows more than anything else.

"But, getting out ourselves seems to be the real mystery here. The windows would be our best bet. However, a drop from the third story would not be fun in the slightest," Maxie stated. 

Archie spied a metallic shelf filled with blinking boxes connected to wires. Even before he had Mars' approval, he was already marching over to it. His jacket was tight even without being zipped up, but he sucked in his gut and zipped it up so Shaymin could stay nestled up to him. "Oi, is this important?" he asked as he started pushing it away from the wall. 

Mars took a quick glance in his direction. "For everything else in this room, yes. For this computer, no. Do what you want. It's probably going to be destroyed anyway." 

Archie could never pass up the opportunity to completely wreck some shit. 

Upon seeing what he was doing, Maxie rushed to the other side. His breathing was still heavy, but at least he wasn't dying. "We need to get those documents from her," Maxie whispered, seeming to be unfazed by the sounds of Pokemon attacking the door. He did stand mere feet from Groudon without batting an eye, after all. Archie nodded in agreement as he pushed the shelf over to block the door. Since the doors slid open, the shelf wasn't going to stand a chance. The most they could hope for was it buying them a few seconds. 

"How close are ya?" Archie called over to her.

"A little over halfway. Everything's so encryptid and Cyrus didn't make any kind of bypass." Maxie scouted the windows while Archie peered over Mars' way. He was never much into programming and computer language. He left most of that for Shelly. Everything Mars was doing was completely foreign to him, but she seemed to have a good grasp on it even if she was chewing her lip to the point she probably wouldn't have one at the end of this. "As long as we have the important things, we should be okay."

"Is Project AZOTH one of those?" Archie asked. Now was as good a time as ever. 

"It was the first one I went looking for." Her typing only paused during the brief seconds that the thuds grew louder and more powerful. 

"How'd ya guys even get your hands on it anyway? I kept it under lock and key."

"It wasn't that hard. You two weren't the only members of Hoenn's Most Wanted who escaped to Sinnoh."

Archie's eyes went wide as he looked over at Maxie. They shared the same level of flabbergast upon the news. Matt and Courtney...Surely this can't be right. Maxie gestured for Archie to come over to him and the man was quick to comply. 

Before either of them could whisper about the news, the door finally met its match. An explosion was all it took for the pieces of the door and the shelf protecting it to go flying everywhere. Maxie shielded his head and Archie wrapped a protective arm around Maxie. Mars ducked down underneath the desk with a scream. A now unconscious Koffing rolled onto the floor before the officer withdrew it back to its ball. 

Maxie was quick to push himself off of Archie and run to the computer on the other side of the room. 

"Everybody, cease activity and put your hands in the air!" one of the three officers that entered the room ordered. The cop to her right tossed out another Koffing. A Growlithe, Koffing, and Granbull formed a defense in front of the officers, but given the order, they would be ready for an attack. 

Maxie pulled the flash drive out of the computer. 

The first officer issued the attack. "Fire Fang, Growlithe!"

Without a moment of hesitation, fire ignited around the Pokemon's already sharper than life teeth. It charged at Maxie, but was swatted across the face by a very angry Purugly. The hairs on her grey body were standing on end as she hissed at the intruders. The fire extinguished as the Growlithe shook off the attack. 

Mars bumped her head underneath the desk before finally standing up. She pulled out two Pokeballs and tossed them into the playing field. Her Bronzor spun out and her Zubat shrieked at her opponents. Of course she had to have weak grunt Pokemon as well. 

She shouted command after command, trying to keep up with three battles at once. Maxie pocketed the flash drive, but his commanding nature got the better of him. He may not have had any Pokemon in the fight, but that didn't stop him from calling out better orders. Orders in which Mars repeated.

Seeing that they had the fight taken care of, Archie tried to open up one of the windows only to find it was sealed shut. Ugh. This shit again? If he had to punch another window open he was going to lose it, but it looked like that was simply going to be inevitable. 

He punched the window, finding it to be way more secure than the old windows of the Old Chateau. Damn modern technology and more efficient safety and temperature control standards. 

"If you continue to fight we will have to resort to extreme measures!" The second cop with the Koffing shouted. 

"Get a Confuse Ray on that Koffing!" Maxie ordered, albeit too late. 

There was no hesitation in the officer's next order. It seemed like his mind was made up regardless of whether or not the Galactic trio followed orders. "Explosion!" 

With a doofy smile plastered on its face, the Koffing began to glow and hovered closer to the three. Rays of brilliant white light escaped from crevasses in its body. 

Maxie grabbed onto Mars' arm and pulled her out of its direct path. He may have saved her, but his eyes were focused on Archie.

Deep blue met brilliant green before an intense light over took the room, followed by fiery reds and smoky black. The windows shattered open, only adding to the deafening sound of the explosion. 

Archie expected to be met with smoke filled lungs and burns scattered about his body, but that wasn't so much the case. The ringing in his ears was deafening itself. His body was sore from impact and it felt like some of the glass pierced through his skin. 

He opened his eyes expecting to see a smoke filled room, but instead he was met with...clouds. Clouds that lazed in a light blue sky. He blinked once, twice, expecting them to vanish but they never did. He was in too much pain for this to be a dream as well. 

He forced himself to sit up, feeling soft bristles under his hand. The grass around the building was thin and close to dying, but he landed in the one place the world's softest bush resided. Shaymin pawed his chest to get his attention. It looked like it was squeaking nonstop but Archie couldn't hear any of it. 

Just as Archie and Maxie protected Shaymin, it was Shaymin's turn to return the favor. 

Archie stumbled onto his feet and around the barren area. His eyes went wide with fear. Maxie was nowhere to be found. He wasn't near the windows during the explosion. There was no way he could have been suddenly thrown out. 

Archie looked up at the building, his heart skipping a beat as he watched the smoke pour out of the windows he was standing by. 

Archie needed to find a way back into the building. 

Oh, how irony is a cruel bitch. 

There were so many flashing lights around the outside, not to mention the ones on the inside. Archie was almost grateful his hearing was shot. 

Careful to not be seen, Archie peered over the side, finding that with the amount of officers surrounding the building, there was no chance of getting back in. Everyone must have scattered from his section of the building during the explosion, but now that things were cooling down, he saw bodies begin to move back to their stations. 

There would be absolutely nothing Archie could do for Maxie if he was imprisoned, assuming that Maxie was still alive to begin with. There were no more options that Archie could consider. Without his team, he couldn't go in guns a blazing and save his love. He knew he was a strong man himself, but he was completely outnumbered. Completely helpless.

Archie truly did hate how Maxie's stupid plans always made reality, just not in the way the red head would want them.

Forcing Shaymin back down into his jacket, Archie took one last look up at the now smoking building, then ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!!!! I'm also sorry beyond belief, but hey, I decided to be at least a little merciful! Originally Maxie was going to push Archie to freedom but I couldn't do that to even my heart, not to mention once I started writing it I had no idea how to make that work. You can thank my own stupidity from saving you from the feels this time.   
> As always, you can leave any questions/comments/concerns/death threats in the comments below or hmu at authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: Cyrus shows his first emotion. It isn't a good one.


	22. Fire or Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxie keeps on getting knocked out and placed in situations he doesn't want to be in.
> 
> Oh, and see that "Graphic Depictions of Violence" tag? Yeah. That comes in handy this chapter.

Koffing exploded. 

The brilliant flash of white light filled the room, quickly followed by incinerating heat and a pressurized force that was strong enough to throw the commanders against the heavy technological machinery. The world was black, but the pain in his everywhere told him that he wasn't dead yet. The darkness was the smoke. Smoke that choked any individual who inhaled it. Maxie had no choice. His body refused to move. The world existed, but Maxie didn't feel like he was part of it. The ringing in his ears prevented him from hearing the officers' footsteps come toward him. The thick smoke prevented him from seeing his impending future. The most he could do was cough and sputter as his lungs rejected the toxins looming in the air. 

Maxie was either going to be taken into custody or die before that. Death was looking like the better option here. He didn't want to allow anyone to have the satisfaction of taking Maxie Matsubusa's name off of Hoenn's Most Wanted list. He felt like he didn't even need to be on there to begin with, but that was a topic for another, less eventful day. 

His burning eyes looked over to the head of red hair lying a few feet away from him. Mars laid there unmoving. Lifeless, even. 

A hand emerged from the smoke and grabbed her arm. The hand wasn't attached to the navy sleeve of the officers' uniform. Rather, it was silver, glistening in what little light the room now held. Maxie's vision was too blurry to make out specifics, but he did see cerulean hair. Saturn knelt down beside Mars and gingerly scooped her up into his arms. Saturn was by no means a buff man, but Mars was also a small girl that would probably blow away if the wind was a little too strong. 

Maxie felt something roll him over onto his back as well. It didn't feel warm and gently like a human hand though. It felt cold and moist. Most of the body was camouflaged from the smoke in the room, but Maxie could make out a pulsating red sack. Toxicroak pulled him up into a sitting position. Maxie didn't even have the voice to express his pain that came from the new position. The pain that increased when the Pokemon slung him over its shoulder. He much preferred the security that came with being carried in Archie's arms, but he was in no condition to complain. He was in no condition to speak even. The pain was unbearable and his oxygen deprived body shut down piece by piece.

The darkness that washed over him was nothing less than a sweet relief.

///

Being completely helpless and vulnerable was never fun for the strong willed. Then again, someone who is unconscious can't really complain considering they're not in the world to begin with. He woke up in a completely new environment. Completely new and extremely hectic. Without his glasses, which he assumed were shattered in the explosion, the confusion was only increased ten fold. 

The grunts running around the place were completely useless in gaining information. He had to wait until he found one of the commanders roaming around. His body ached and his vision wasn't worth a shit, but finally Mars turned into his saving grace. 

They were in a new warehouse in Veilstone City. One that was only planned to be used for storage and grunt training, but circumstances forced their hand. He was out for a few days, as was she, but fortunately, they didn't suffer from severe injuries.

When Maxie spoke about finding Archie, Mars went silent. Unsure of how to answer, she excused herself to other business, despite his protests. Maxie's blood went cold. He could only hope that Archie escaped, but there were so many alternatives to take into consideration.

Maxie was by no means in the mood to deal with Team Galactic nonsense the next few following days. He took to the sidelines while the other commanders called the shots of getting the new base in order, using the excuse that he was still injured from the explosion, which he was. There were so many things they could have done to make it more efficient, but the less productive Team Galactic is, the better. Maxie was even hesitant to take the new pair of glasses Saturn given him. If he could see, that meant he had to work.

Just to add to his troubles, Cyrus was finally back in the picture. At least, that's what Maxie had heard. He hadn't seen the slightest amount of evidence that Cyrus was in the area other than noting shaken up grunts here and there. When he received a message from Cyrus to meet him in his office on the top floor, he was pretty surprised. 

Surprised and terrified. 

With arms tucked behind his back, Maxie didn't notice he was holding his breath for the entirety of the elevator ride until his body made a desperate plea for oxygen. He shouldn't be afraid of the Galactic leader. He was the great Maxie Matsubusa, goddammit! But...things were different now without his partner in crime. His plan was in motion, but not the way he wanted it. He could almost laugh at this turn of events. 

The elevator doors opened and Maxie let out a long exhale as the LED lights overhead shined down on him. He stepped out and looked down the short and narrow hallways. There wasn't a soul in sight. The only sound came from the annoying buzz from the lights above. One light flickered near the only door on the floor. The air was unreasonably cold. Cold and heavy. An unlikely pairing that Maxie has never felt before. His former hatred with Archie used to be so heated and lively. There was always tension in the air, weighing down on their shoulders. Here though, there was nothing. No life, no passion, only dread. 

Maxie unclasped his hands and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came the voice on the other side. No life, no passion. 

The doors in this building weren't all automatic. Maxie was honestly surprised to see the doorknob sticking out on the metallic door. He entered the office. A cold shiver crept down his spine when the chilliness of the air hit him. Cyrus watched him enter from the comfort of his dark grey desk. He wasn't alone this time. Sitting on his desk was a Weavile, kicking his feet back and forth in boredom. At the side of the desk was a sleeping Houndoom. Or rather, formerly sleeping Houndoom. The office was littered with boxes, none of which seemed to have been unpacked. There wasn't even a chair that Maxie could sit in. All he could do was stand awkwardly in front of his desk. 

"You wanted to see me?"

"I would not have called you in if I didn't." There was something different about Cyrus today. Normally his voice was monotone. Emotionless. Now, Maxie was picking up a hint of annoyance and frustration. So the man did have emotions, huh? Now was not the time that Maxie wanted to learn that. Maxie clenched his fists behind his back as those icy blue eyes met his. He refused to be afraid of this punk. He would settle for unnerved at most. 

"I understand that you and Archie were not recruited under the most desirable circumstances, but I believed I was doing the two of you a favor by giving you two the opportunity to rebuild your names," Cyrus started. "It is clear to me now that good intentions don't bring results."

Maxie's blood started to run cold. "What do you mean by that?" he inquired, hoping he could pass the playing dumb act. 

"You know what I mean." As it turns out, he could not. "For being a man with a brilliant mind, brilliant enough to awaken Groudon, strides have been slow in terms of finding a way to summon Dialga and Palkia."

Maxie couldn't help but scoff at that claim despite how dangerous that was. "Archie and I have been here for less than a year. It took around a decade before we understood the power of the orbs. Patience is a virtue here."

"Oh, I assure you have I been more than patient with you two." Cyrus stood up from his seat. Weavile glanced over at his master and snickered something mischievous. "I had my suspicions that you would not like your position. I knew from the very beginning that you would find ways to be disobedient. However, instead of dying off like I had hoped, such disobedience has become stronger and stronger. You act as though I didn't regularly check the cameras." He placed his hands on the desk, drumming the fingers of his right hand against the metallic top. "Sneaking around in restricted areas, sneaking into one another's rooms past curfew, ruining projects with so-called 'accidents,' the list could go on."

Maxie's knuckles were going white. "I assure you that those so-called 'accidents' were just what they were. Accidents. Everything Archie and I did was for the benefit of Te-"

"The last thing I want to hear now are excuses, Maxie," Cyrus cut him off. "Need I remind you of your moment of passion in that abandoned house?" Maxie's eyes went wide and heat rose to his cheeks with surprise, prompting Cyrus to tilt his head to the side a little. "Oh? You weren't aware that I was partially awake to listen to your scheme to destroy my team? I'm not surprised. You were busy at the moment."

Maxie's mind raced with excuse after excuse, none of them sticking as the perfect excuse to get him out of this mess. Cyrus took this opportunity to keep on talking. "I have always admired your intelligence and your leadership capabilities, but your view of the world has always annoyed me. You always want to see the good in humanity. You wanted it to have an opportunity to expand, to reach its full potential. For such an intelligent man, you speak and believe a lot of nonsense." Cyrus's eyes narrowed and Maxie's moved to match. There was no need in putting up the act any more. He knew he was a dead man walking.

"If you hate me so much, then I recommend stop wasting your time with me," Maxie spoke firmly. 

Cyrus pushed himself off of his desk with a half-hearted shake of his head. "After everything you have done with Team Galactic, you think I would release you with a mere slap on the wrists? It's bad enough that Archie escaped. Now I have a team of Pokemon I need to take care of."

Team? Singular? And Archie? He was definitely still alive? Maxie wanted to breathe out a sigh of relief, but it was proving to be hard to breathe in such a tension filled atmosphere. That, and he knew things were only going to get worse. 

"They're still alive?"

"For the most part," Cyrus answered with a shrug. That...really didn't tell him much. 

"If that's the case," Maxie spoke after taking a subtle inhale, "I request that you release them. You can no longer hold our teams over our heads. Archie is gone and I have accepted the fact that one way or the other, my Pokemon are going to die in this captivity." Hearing those words leave his mouth felt like repetitive punches to the gut. He hated himself for speaking in such a way, but reality was forcing his hand. 

"Bold words from such an insignificant soul." Cyrus walked around his desk to stand in front of it. Weavile jumped down and Houndoom rose to his feet. "You have no authority to request mercy. I will do as I please to your Pokemon on my own time. However, I will assure you that your Pokemon will not receive punishment from this latest round of disobedience."

There was more to this story though. The air grew thicker. Cyrus's icy glare grew colder. Maxie refused to back down. "If you wanted to reprimand me, then why have you not done so already?"

"I've been a busy man, but clearly, my negligence has led us to this point. This is merely one bump in the road. Team Galactic will rebuild and conquer. The universe will be recreated in my image. Whether you like it or not, you are going to play a role in it."

"Like hell I am!" Houndoom barked at the outburst but Maxie remained unfaltered. "Hand over my team and we will battle this out. Or are you too much of a coward to watch your team get incinerated?"

"I've wasted enough time with you. There is no reason to waste any more of it." Cyrus clasped his hands behind his back, making Maxie grit his teeth. Normally he would be flattered if someone copied him, but there was absolutely nothing to like about Cyrus. "However, if it's a battle you want, then I suppose I can humor you with one. I will even allow you to pick your opponent. Would you like to face Houndoom or Weavile? Fire or ice?"

Maxie did not like where this was going. "Allow me to have my Pokemon first."

For the first time since Maxie has had the unfortunate luck of knowing Cyrus, he watched as a corner of his mouth turned upward. His body turned to ice even before the words came out of Cyrus's mouth. "If I refused once, I will refuse twice. What will it be, Maxie? Fire or ice?"

"This is outrageous!" Maxie couldn't think of a plan fast enough. 

Maxie didn't see it, but he heard Cyrus snap his fingers. Weaviles have always been speedy little bastards and this one was no different. Fingers snapped and Weavile vanished. Maxie took an instinctive step back, his eyes darting around the room. He needed an escape, or at the very least a weapon. 

An instant wave of pain washed over his body as sharp claws slashed into his back. His back arched and he shouted out in pain. He stumbled forward, doubling over as the blood soaked into his clothes and clung to his skin. The corner of his eye finally caught sight of the dark creature. Blood covered the white claws on both of his hands. He sniffed one of the hands before going in to lick it clean. 

The pain was sharp and agonizing. His entire back felt like it was on fire. He raised his head enough to meet Cyrus's chilly eyes. His hint of a smile was nowhere to be found. Maxie scowled at the sight, but then his eyes caught flames flickering out of Houndoom's mouth. He could barely stay on his feet, let alone jump out of the way in time of the attack. It was coming and the most he could do was turn around, exposing his slashed up back to the steady stream of flames. 

Stars riddled his vision and his blood curdling scream filled the air. The attack wasn't drawn out, but it was more than enough to make Maxie drop to his knees, barely able to keep himself up. Pain erupted in every direction. His breathing was heavy and tears welled up in his eyes as the pain and the scent of burning flesh became to horrible for him to bare. 

He has been poisoned. He has been blown up. Now, he was sliced up and burned. He truly could not get a break. 

Unable to hold himself up any longer, Maxie collapsed on the floor. He couldn't even turn his head when he heard footsteps echo towards him in the deathly silent office. "Oh, how the mighty fall, indeed. Your followers would certainly weep at this sight of their great leader. But they're not here, now are they? Not even your Pokemon or Archie are here to assist your rebellion. The only thing you have now is Team Galactic." 

Words refused to form. His mind and body were too overstimulated to do anything other than grunt and groan in response to the pain that seeped into his bones. Maxie would have much rather had Cyrus kick him while he was down than mock him in such ways. The world was growing hazy and there was no point in fighting with his mind's desperate plea for escape. 

"You will be placed on medical leave while you recover. Once you do, I expect results with your research. I would hate to waste my time doing this again."

Maxie never heard footsteps walk away. They very well could have, but it was unimportant to Maxie. He wanted nothing more than for this to be a bad, painful dream. He wanted to be Darkrai's victim that was moments away from waking up and seeing Archie's face soften in relief the second Maxie opens his eyes. 

As the world faded to black, he knew that this was not a merciful nightmare. 

///

"Baby, don't do that!" a young voice shrieked right before a metallic can hit the floor, pencils and pens scattering about in the process. "Ugh, look what you did! Are you happy? Did you get anything out of that?"

Purugly stared up at her owner with mischievous eyes, knowing Mars wasn't going to do anything other that clean up the mess she made. 

Maxie's back was throbbing in a very annoying, but not completely unbearable pain. His eyes fell onto a room he has never seen before. The walls and floor were still coated in neutral colors, but unlike anywhere else on Galactic property, he noticed decorations in the room. Posters of multicolored galaxies and Unovian boy bands covered parts of the walls. Small, twinkling lights lined the edges of the ceiling, making the room looked like it was boxed in by stars if all of the lights were to go out. Clothes were thrown on the floor and over the one desk chair in the room. 

Maxie squinted as he rose his head up from the pillow. His stomach didn't want to move from the mattress it laid on, but he did want to find his glasses. He grunted and Mars instantly placed her eyes on him. 

"You're awake!" she cheered and scampered over to his side. 

"Unfortunately so," he mumbled quietly. He laid back down, accepting the blurry vision for the time being. His torso felt like it was wrapped up tightly with bandages. Catching some of the white from the corner of his eye only confirmed his theory. As if things couldn't get any worse, now he was shirtless and his skin was exposed to the cool air in the room. Maxie couldn't find the energy to fight. 

Mars gave him a soft and concerned smile. One he couldn't see to appreciate. "I'm sorry about what Master Cyrus did to you."

Maxie closed his eyes to keep himself from rolling them. "Why are you here?" he asked bluntly, wanting to divert the conversation to quite literally anything else. 

"Oh...oh right! The grunts are busy getting the new base in order and I have a decent amount of medical knowledge under my wing, so Master Cyrus appointed me to keep watch of you to, y'know, make sure you don't die or anything."

"Real considerate," Maxie grumbled. Based on the looks of it, he could safely guess an infirmary has not been set up yet and he was stuck in Mars's room. Fun. 

"So...how are you feeling?" Mars asked softly. Maxie only glared at her with the one eye that wasn't shoved in the pillow. "Okay. Not good. Noted. Do you need an ice pack or two for your back? You still have some medicine in your system and we have to wait a little longer before I put any more in."

Again, Maxie stayed silent. He was too furious to talk. He didn't care if he made a speedy recovery.

Mars awkwardly shifted her weight onto her other foot, biting the nail of her index finger as she thought. "Look...I know you don't want to be here and you definitely hate everyone's guts right now, but please let me help you."

"Why should I?" Maxie countered. 

Mars looked down at her shoes in thought. "Because I want you to get better."

"Try again." Maxie moved his head to face the wall instead of Mars. "I don't want help, especially not from someone who's too young to know what she's doing."

Maxie heard a soft crack, one that came when teeth clipped off the tip of a fingernail. 

"I know I'm young, but I have some experience in this kind of stuff," she countered after a moment of thought. "Granted, I can't do any open heart surgery on you, but I can treat burns and cuts. I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up, after all. I know a thing or two from my studies."

Seeing how he wasn't going to be able to shake her off, Maxie amused himself by facing her again. "You wanted to be a nurse but became an astronaut instead. Your parents must be so proud." 

"Maybe," she shrugged, but her heart clearly wasn't in that answer. Before things could get any more awkward, Mars's watched beep and she jumped in surprise before quickly turning it off. "Well, it looks like whether you want it or not, it's time for me to help you out."

She grabbed a pair of scissors from her desk and Maxie propped himself up on his elbow, ready to dart. Mars placed a hand on his shoulder and forced him back into the mattress. "Relax. I'm just going to cut the bandages so I can get them off. I need to put some cream on your back and give you a new set of bandages."

Since Mars was holding a pair of scissors, Maxie decided to not fight her on this. He propped himself up on his elbows to give her some space to work with. Once the bandages were off and tossed aside, he collapsed back into the mattress. "I must say, you appear to be too young to have medical experience."

"And like I said, I wanted to be a nurse. Just because I'm self-taught doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing." She pulled out a half full tube and squeezed a pasty white substance onto her hand. Maxie winced when it touched his oh so sensitive skin. He wanted to groan more, but also didn't want to be too big of a pussy as she applied the cream to his injuries. He had no idea how bad his back looked like, but if he had to guess it was charred beyond belief. Her soft hands carefully navigated his back, careful to avoid the stitched up slashes. Archie could probably find the time to make a few comments about his battle scars. The thought of seeing Archie again was motivation enough for him. 

"If that was your goal, how did you end up here?" Maxie asked. Compared to all of the other commanders, Mars was the more tolerable. She just needed a little guidance, he felt. She was quick to learn the proper way to care for Shaymin when Maxie showed her. She was also the only one who was willing to listen to his spiels about volcanic activity and other pieces of his passions. If she wasn't tied to Team Galactic, she would have been an alright person. "Cyrus didn't kidnap you as well, did he? It seems like everyone he recruits is taken against their will."

"Oh no! I came willingly, I promise you that." That still didn't answer his question. He opened his mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a shout when her hand ran over a more painful area. Mars jumped before going back to work. "Sorry! Sorry. You have some spots that are going to heal quickly and others that...won't heal as quickly."

"That's nice to know," he grumbled, eyeing the Purugly as she laid down to take a cat nap. Mars caught his eye and his solemn expression. 

"I know that Master Cyrus does everything for a reason, but if you ask me, he should have let you keep your Pokemon," she spoke softly.

"Yes, well, he didn't and there's nothing I can do about it." 

Mars finished lathering him up and took a quick second to step aside to her bathroom to wash her hands. This girl had everything. Way more than Maxie and Archie ever had in their shabby rooms. "Well...there may not be anything you can do about it, but I might be able to do something," she offered, instantly obtaining Maxie's interest. He knew he shouldn't be to hopeful. She was probably just talking without thinking. But then again, this is the most Maxie's had to work with in months. 

"Care to elaborate?"

Mars tugged on the bottom of her shirt. It must have been past curfew since she wasn't in her Galactic gear. "I...uh, I know where your Pokemon are. I can see about sneaking them out for you, if you want."

That type of information was enough to make Maxie prop himself up on his elbows despite the pain he felt. Mars scurried over to him, but he waved her off. This felt too good to be true. Surely this had to be some kind of trap. Cyrus was testing his loyalty and using Mars as a middleman. Or maybe Mars wanted something and was giving him false promises as motivation? Either way, Maxie knew there was more to this story. 

"What's the catch?"

Mars was close to tearing her shirt with the sheer amount of force she put behind her tugs. "Well...I was thinking that I could...well...take most of the credit in our research. Charon's been doing his own thing as of late and he's miles ahead of all the other commanders and I'm...falling behind a little bit. I just think that if we teamed up, like seriously teamed up, we can beat Charon and be on Master Cyrus's good list."

Maxie blinked. "I don't know if you have figured this out or not, but I'm not necessarily on Cyrus's good list right now."

"But that doesn't mean you're permanently off it! I really think that we can pull this off. Not only will you get your Pokemon back, but if the work we turn in is good, then Master Cyrus might change his opinion of you." Purugly stumbled up to her chubby feet and walked over to Mars, rubbing her grey fur against her owner's leg. Mars remained tense, but her shoulders loosed up a little bit and she stopped tugging at her shirt. Instead, she folded her hands together in front of her chest. "Plus, we're redheads. We have to stick together!"

The last comment was enough to get a small smile out of Maxie. This girl was so young and childish. Childish enough for her emotions to be genuine. Cyrus did say he wanted results, and without Archie, Maxie needed an ally until he could start figuring things out for himself. 

"You do make a very convincing argument," Maxie said. "I would like to add that if you don't hold up your end of the deal, I will be sure that you won't leave unscathed."

"I promise I will! As soon as we turn in the first report, I'll see about getting one of your Pokemon just to show you I'm legit about this."

"If that's the case, then you have yourself a deal." Maxie would have stuck out his hand for a shake, but both were busy keeping him balanced. Mars didn't seem to care. Her face was as bright as a full moon in a clear night sky. 

"Great! I promise I won't disappoint!" Mars cheered, walking over to grab the bandages with a smile on her face. 

Maxie could only hope that she won't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading! Sorry this took so long to publish. Things came out that were completely out of my control, but I should be back for a while! As always, if you have any comments/questions/concerns/death threats, you can either leave them in the comments below or hmu at authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: Sailors like gossip


	23. The Slappy Spheal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archie's next course of action becomes a little easier when he bumps into a familiar face.

The warm, salty sea air was refreshing, rejuvenating, to Archie's tired soul. He would have never thought that such a beautiful white beach and a calming blue ocean lied right on the outskirts of where he has spent far too long of his time in captivity. Sunyshore was truly a city to behold, but it was hard to enjoy it when he spent his time ducking from police and Team Galactic alike. Police were cracking down on the astro-nuts. The raid was just the beginning. Plenty of grunts had made their escape, but right when freedom was within their grasp, a handcuff slapped on their wrists pulled them back.

Archie really hoped that Maxie was okay.

He knew that he should prioritize his own safety first and foremost, but his mind kept on wandering to how Maxie was holding up. Not knowing was nerve wracking. He could be in police custody for all he knew.

Or he could be dead.

When Archie's mind wandered to that dangerous area, he always tried to shake them out of his head like an etch-a-sketch board that was only halfway functional. Maxie was resilient. Surely he was okay.

The ringing in his ears subsided, but even then things sounded muffled, like someone was holding their hands over his ears. He could only hope it was temporary.

The name of the city held true. The sun shone high and bright in the sky. This was probably the warmest place Archie has ever been to in the Sinnoh region. Civilians of all walks of life roamed the streets, all blissfully unaware of the Galactic warehouse going completely up in smokes. Some were dressed in business attire and rushing to work. Some were in street clothes and went about their day taking it easy and running a few errands. Others were ready for a fun day at the beach, wearing nothing but colorful swimsuits and trunks. No one so much as batted an eye at these fun loving folks.

Archie was careful to stay ducked in the shadowy alleyways, but any ounce of light bounced off of his torn jacket. Hiding beside a large dumpster, his chest heaved as he caught his breath and calmed his nerves. The odor of the dumpster felt like a kick to the ribs, but there was nothing he could do. His senses were in overload. Even Shaymin's gentle padding made Archie want to scream out his frustrations.

That feeling didn't stick around for long. The odor disappeared, being replaced with something much sweeter. No flowers were in sight, but it smelled like he just stepped into a greenhouse that only housed the fullest and healthiest flowers imaginable. It was soothing.

Archie looked down at Shaymin and saw the small creature looking up at him. He unzipped his jacket and placed the Pokemon in his lap. His rough fingers gingerly scratched Shaymin's cheek, earning a small smile and a squeak of satisfaction from the creature.

"Looks like we finally got outta there, huh buddy," he sighed out. "Now, how do we get back in? Or find them again, even? They're gonna run away and meet up somewhere else."

Shaymin may not have been able to respond and give Archie the answers he wanted to hear, but just having something there to talk to was more than enough to help Archie run through his thoughts.

"We also gotta find a way to get ya home. I take it as home's Floaroma, huh?" Whether that was the right answer or not, Archie couldn't tell. The Pokemon was too busy sniffing his fingers.

Archie rested his head against the hard brick wall of the building. He had no idea what he was going to do. Without Maxie or Shelly or Matt or literally anyone to brainstorm with backing him up, he was at a loss. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. Now was not the time to sign the adoption certificate of a defeatist attitude. Maxie was relying on him.

If he could awaken a slumbering god, he could take down a nihilistic punk.

"Okay Shaymin, game plan time," he announced. Shaymin finally looked up at him probably not to listen to him, but to stare him down until it received more scratches and pats. Archie rubbed its fuzzy little white belly to appease it. "The first thing we need to do is figure out what's going on. We need information. Then we gotta get ya to Floaroma and see what's happenin' there. Then after that, I guess I'll wing it."

The first step was always the hardest step though. With the irritating spaceman outfit and the brilliant golden "G" plastered on his clothes front and center, it would be really hard to blend in. He felt like he would be tackled by five cops by the time he emerged from the shadowy alley.

A Wingull flew down from the sky and perched itself onto the edge of the dumpster. It squawked in warning, telling Archie that it would fight if he threatened the Wingull's trash. Archie waved it off. "Go back to the beach, ya bag of feathers."

The beach.

That was it!

The bird squawked again before hopping down to peck through the trash to find an afternoon snack. Carefully, Archie moved Shaymin out of his lap as he stood up. The Pokemon stayed close by his feet, looking up at him to see what he was doing, only to squeak when a flashy jacket fell down and covered the tiny mythical Pokemon.

"Sorry buddy," Archie said and picked up the jacket in one hand and the Pokemon in the other. Not only was his jacket off, but the shirt underneath it was also off of his slowly bruising body. Never in his life has he felt so free to be shirtless.

After placing Shaymin securely on his shoulder, Archie propped himself up against the wall and messed with his pants. All it took were some tears in the knees and Archie was able to rip the bottom parts of the legs off. Who was clothing's greatest enemy? It was none other than Archie Aogiri himself. There isn't a fabric he can't, and won't, rip. The tears weren't clean, leaving an uneven knee line and stray strands of fabric hanging off the cloth, but they would do. They looked like they could pass as swim trunks. If not, then he could put on a fake accent and pretend he was from a place where fashion was always changing and made absolutely no sense. Like Kalos. Or Unova. Unova was probably his best bet. Or maybe he could say his Pokemon was the cause of it. He had plenty of things to fall back on, but he could only hope that people kept to themselves.

One problem looked as though it was solved. Now there were two more; Shaymin and his scar. He didn't have a handy dandy bottle of concealer at his disposal. He hasn't ever since he was forced to join Team Galactic. As for Shaymin, trainers have been known to drop valuables time and time again, but he didn't luck out and find the alleyway where someone just so happened to drop a Pokeball he could use.

But he did have a jacket. A jacket that turned out to make a shitty, but good enough bag when he tied the ends of it together.

"A'ight buddy, we gotta work together on this," he said as he scooped Shaymin off of his shoulder, earning a curious squeak in return. "I'm gonna start gettin' things in order and I need ya to be real quiet, okay? Real quiet and still. Hopefully I won't have to put ya away for too long. I'll try not to, at least."

When Shaymin seemed like it understood what was going on, Archie placed it in the bag, careful to keep the opening from closing all the way. Two problems down.

The Wingull hopped out of the dumpster with something in its beak. Archie didn't hear it, but he did see the sudden movement from the corner of his eye. He half expected the bird to find a half eaten slice of pizza or a bun to a burger someone wanted to try out but ended up not liking it and ultimately wasting their hard earned money on a risk. Instead, it seemed like the universe was trying to make up for being so justifiably shit to him after he nearly ended the world. A pair of sunglasses dangled from its beak. One of the lenses was cracked, but otherwise it still looked wearable.

"Hey buddy," he cooed softly. He had the bird's attention, but it wasn't the good kind of attention like he hoped. The Wingull puffed itself up, daring him to get any closer if he wanted to face true bird fury. Despite his warning to Shaymin, the Pokemon stuck its nose out of the opening and wiggled its way to look at what was going on in the outside world.

"Now, ya know that ya ain't gonna be eatin' that," Archie said as though the bird could understand him and his need for the sunglasses. "Just drop 'em and I'll leave ya alone."

The bird looked offended that he would suggest such a thing. Squaring up with a tiny bird was not what Archie had on the agenda today, but today might as well be this weird. He made a lunge, arms outstretched and ready to catch the winged terror. A split second before Archie's rough hands caught the creature, it flew away and perched itself on the side of the building. Archie gracelessly slammed into the hard dumpster with a grunt. Looks like he'll be able to add another bruise to the growing list.

Shaymin let out an angry squeak, which sounded more adorable than threatening. Archie was afraid that he squashed the tiny, sentient bush, but thankfully that wasn't the case. Instead, Shaymin directed the squeak to the Wingull. Small sparkles of light drifted around Shaymin and the red flowers glowed in the dark alley. It opened its mouth and a beam of golden light erupted from it. The Wingull squawked and tried to fly away, but it was too late. The beam engulfed the gull. It didn't stand a chance against a Solar Beam from a mythical Pokemon. Wingull plummeted to the ground and Archie leaped forward to catch it. He took the sunglasses out of its beak and rested them on his head for the time being. That probably wasn't the wisest move considering they came from the garbage, but Archie didn't have a lot of options now did he?

The Wingull was battered and Shaymin looked proud of itself. Slowly, the Wingull opened its eyes and chirped pathetically, almost like it was afraid of what was going to come next. Archie wished that he had a potion handy to heal the poor creature, but then again it was being a territorial ass.

There was no way that he could leave the thing in the condition it was in. It was practically an easy meal for the diseased Rattatas that called alleys their homes. He opened his makeshift bag up a little more and gently placed the Pokemon inside of it. Both Pokemon made noises of protest. "Hey now, don't be whinin'. This is a temporary thing."

While the Pokemon threw their little temper tantrums, Archie took the sunglasses off of his head and looked them over. Shaymin's natural aroma eliminated the stench the shades surely had on them after being in the trash for who knows how long. They were a little beat up, but they would do the job, he decided. He placed them on his face and felt to see where the outline was. He knew where the scarred tissue rested and figured that the shades covered just enough of his face to not be suspicious. The sharp, ragged ends of the scar were still visible, radiating out from behind the dark glasses. This wasn't the best solution, but he was fortunate enough to at least have this.

The injured Wingull stopped squawking to preserve what little energy it had left. Shaymin still whimpered now that it was stuck in a cramped bag, but finally became compliant.

With a long exhale, Archie left the alley.

The best way to not get caught in any situation is to act as though he wasn't doing anything wrong to begin with. He wasn't running from the cops or avoiding the spacemen with the bad haircuts. He was just an average Joe wanting to spend a relaxing day on the beach. He kept his head up and acted as though he didn't have a care in the world. In return, no one cared about him.

Archie watched with only a passing glance as officers in navy colored uniforms roamed the streets, talking into the walkie talkies on their shoulders. Partner Pokemon stayed by their sides, looking and sniffing for anyone out of the ordinary.

Once Archie made to the end of the street and the beginning of the white, sandy ground, he stopped himself. Gentle waves moved inland, only to grow tired and sink back into the depths of the sea to recharge and try again. Adults and children splashed about in the water. People in bikinis and speedos laid out on their colorful towels, soaking in the rich heat from the vibrant sun. Grunts and laughs erupted from a group of young adults playing volleyball.

The sea was calm and no one had a care in the world.

A sharp pain of guilt sliced into Archie's stomach.

Maxie needed to be here to see this with him.

Archie shook his head. He needed to focus. He could gawk at the sea when Maxie was with him. He could vent his guilt when Maxie rested against his shoulder. He could do anything and everything he wanted to do when Maxie was by his side once more.

Staying close to the street, Archie looked around at all of the tourist traps that surrounded the otherwise beautiful shore. People were shameless in what they would do for money. Archie had to hold back his disgust. If he has learned anything after being defeated by a twelve year old, it was that maybe flooding the world wasn't the best idea to get rid of human greed.

There was one place he was looking for. A place he knew he could get all of the information he needed. Sailors loved their gossip, so if he found the sailors he would start piecing things together. It was true in Hoenn. It was true in Canalave City when they first stepped foot onto Sinnoh land. It was bound to be true in Sunyshore.

After sailing the seas for who knows how long, Archie knew that sailors would want to kick back and relax for a while. It may have been the middle of the day, but time is irrelevant to sailors, as well as the bars that serve them.

Archie's eyes gleamed with hope when he saw an open deck full of slap happy, muscular sailors and swimsuit clad ocean-goers over by the docks. Attached to the dock was a closed off hut with a wooden sign sticking out from the side. The sign read "THE SLAPPY SPHEAL" on either side. Each letter was painted blue and outlined in white. If this wasn't a bar, Archie didn't know what was.

He took a glance down in his makeshift bag to see if the Pokemon were doing alright. Shaymin was still pouty but it would survive. Archie needed to get something for the Wingull or it wouldn't. Going to a Pokemon Center would take care of all his needs, but spying a navy blue uniform outside of the the red roofed building steered him away from turning around and going that way. He just needed a moment to gather information and think.

Entering the building, he was met the with the sticky scent of booze and greasy food. Arceus, when was the last time he had a good meal outside of the Galactic cafeteria food? It was probably his lunch date with Maxie.

A group of rowdy people sat at the bar, all of them enjoying their drinks, food, and company. The low volume of the pop song playing above head was no match for the voices. White shirts and sailor caps told Archie he was in the right place.

Seeing a lack of a host, Archie strolled right to the bar. No one gave him a passing glance. Most of the seats were filled, but he did find one near the end of the bar. He placed the bag in his lap and gave it a gentle pat. He would have placed it on the floor, but he was afraid of one of the Pokemon getting kicked or Shaymin crawling out. The last thing he needed was to lost a mythical Pokemon in a bar.

"Whaddya talkin' 'bout, Jonesy?!" one of the sailors laughed. "Lugia could totally kick Kyogre's ass!"

"You take you and your Johto nonsense outta here! I've done seen Kyogre with my own two eyes and lemme tell ya that thing was a beast! Not to mention it destroyed my ol' ship with the rain alone!" the man, Jonesy, Archie guessed, replied.

"Aye mate, weren't ya in Alola when Hoenn was dealin' with that shit?" a third sailor called him out, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

"Last time he told the story he was over in Dewford. I guess the king of the seas moves fast since I thought everythin' happened on that other side of Hoenn. Y'know, the side where all the water is," a fourth joined in with a laugh.

"Ay," a new voice said, this time it was directed at Archie. Archie blinked back into the world and looked at the source. The bartender snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Whatcha in the mood for? Probably somethin' to get that long look off ya face."

The temptation to get the hardest drink they had was there, but since he had no money in his pockets he was going to play it safe for a while. "I ain't ready for that yet," he said with a small laugh. "I'm actually waitin' on someone right now, so would ya care to start me off with just a water?"

"Ain't a problem," came her reply. Instead of stepping away to fulfill his order, Archie caught her analyzing him. Her eyes looked him up and down and Archie tilted his head slightly away from her. Maybe his genius disguise wasn't as effective as he thought it was. He knew he was pushing his luck already.

Without saying another word, the bartender went to fetch a glass and now it was Archie's turn to analyze her. Brunette hair was tied in a short braid. She was on the shorter side of things, but those biceps said that she could easily knock a man down in a single blow.

Archie couldn't help but feel like she looked familiar.

"I dunno 'bout that," said Jonesy as Archie eavesdropping back into the conversation. "I say the sooner we get outta here the better."

"Why? Ya afraid that some spacemen are gonna abduct ya into their spaceship?" the first man asked before taking a long drink of beer from his glass.

"I know, I know. It's probably just some more lunatics runnin' around, but look at the last three! Team Rocket nearly took over all of Kanto and Johto. Magma and Aqua almost did awaken Groudon and Kyogre. All I'm sayin' is these guys might be for real," Jonesy defended, only to be slapped on the back by the larger, third man sitting next to him.

"We'll be sure to pick ya up a night light while we're inland so ya can turn it on an' the scary spacemen can't get ya with their tractor beams at night!" the third man laughed, prompting the rest of their small group to laugh loudly, Jonesy included.

"What're these guys all 'bout anyway?" the fourth asked.

"Dunno, Rich," Jonesy answered. "A drink says they wanna do somethin' with space though."

"Don't this region have Palkia as part of their main legend?" Rich added. "Maybe they wanna be like those Hoenn psychopaths and expand the fuckin' space."

"They can expand it all they want but it still won't make room for your ma's arse!" the first one laughed loudly and slammed his glass down on the table.

A glass slid over Archie's way and Archie looked back at the bartender. "Thanks, mate."

"Don't mention it. I'll also go on an' get a tab started for ya for when ya buddy comes in." She slid a piece of paper over Archie's way along with a pen, carefully covering the contents with her hand. Archie caught a gleam in her eye before she went to attend to the drunken sailors.

Archie wasn't for sure what he expected, but when he looked down at the loopy writing his eyes went wide behind his shades.

_Do you remember me?_

He stared at the message for the longest time. He was almost afraid to look up to take in her features again to help jog his memory. Maybe she had the wrong guy. Maybe she was just pulling his leg.

"Oi, let's just hope that the champion of this region ain't a complete moron," Jonesy said.

"Wouldn't surprise me if some other kid becomes champ," Rich replied. "That seems to be happenin' a lot. Last time I checked some lil' lass beat Steven in Hoenn."

"Ain't all the champs gonna be meetin' up in this place soon? I think that Big Rick's working on the cruise they got goin' on. Bet he's gonna be stuck doin' the grunt work," the third one added.

"Aye, they are gonna be havin' a thing, ain't they?" Jonesy laughed. "The Champion's Cruise, I think that's what it's called. All the champs from all the regions are supposed to be on it."

Grunt work...

Then it finally hit him.

Slapping on a mental image of a bandanna onto the bartender, there was no doubt in Archie's mind that she used to be a grunt. He wasn't entirely for sure how to feel. He wanted to jump up and down in joy that he finally got to see a member of his crew again, but he couldn't let that joy in. He wronged his crew. He nearly led them to their deaths, only to force them to give up the only lives they knew for years on a moment's notice.

Archie glanced at her again, his mind racing with the names and faces of his grunts. Finally, he felt like he had a match. He took the pen in his hand and wrote " _Sylvia?_ " He folded the paper in half and slide it back just in time for the bartender to make her round. She unfolded the paper and her smile lit up the room. They caught each other's eyes and despite everything that has happened to him, Archie couldn't help but match her smile. She leaned in close, waiting until the group of sailors started laughing again before she spoke to him in a whisper. It wasn't a long wait.

"Wanna meet me outside in ten?"

Archie nodded, watching as she took the glass away from him. He made a quick glance at the door and then looked up at the clock on one of the walls. "It's a shame. If he ain't here by now I don't think he's gonna show up."

"A shame indeed," she added, playing along with a little wink. "It's also a shame that I gotta kick ya out if ya ain't gonna order nothin'. There's a cafe across the street that has outside seats for the public. Ya can sit there, ya can sit anywhere, but ya can't sit here. Maybe he'll show up later on."

"Yeah. Maybe." Archie wrapped the bag around his wrist and stood up. "Thanks mate," he said before leaving, exiting to the sound of sailors laughing.

Taking her hint, he found an empty table outside of the cafe and took a seat. He placed the bag on the table and peered in, checking on the Pokemon while he waited for Sylvia. Wingull was resting while Shaymin kept on wanting to stick its nose out of the bag. The persistent little thing kept on trying no matter how many times Archie pushed it back. Shaymin squeaked the moment Archie felt something tap on his shoulder. Even though he knew who it was, he still had to stop his body from jumping.

Archie stood up with a smile to greet Sylvia. She was quick to wrap her arms around his neck to give him the tightest hug he's had in a long time. Archie wrapped his arms around the middle of her back and easily hoisted her up. She tucked in her legs as he spun her around. He knew better than to draw attention to himself, but there was nothing abnormal about the excitement two friends can have when they haven't seen each other in a long time.

"I can't believe you're here!" she squealed with delight when Archie finally placed her back on her feet.

"I can't believe it either," he laughed. "You look like you've been holding up just fine. That's great to see. I'd love to catch up, but do ya care if we go somewhere a lil' more private?"

"Oh yeah! Of course! My apartment's near here, but uh, you gotta promise me you're gonna keep an open mind," she ordered as she already started walking down the street. Archie quirked a brow at the odd request as he joined her, playfully nudging her with his elbow.

"Ah, I get it. A lady friend is a lil' more than just a friend, huh?" he teased, earning a smack to his arm and a laugh out of her.

"Ah, shut it! It ain't like that. Sometimes I wish it was though," she joked right back. "Just...trust me, a'ight?"

Seeing how she, along with the rest of the grunts, placed so much trust in him, it didn't hurt him to place some trust in her. "Gotcha, lassie."

When Sylvia said that her apartment wasn't far, she wasn't kidding. Or maybe it was and Archie was too busy talking to really notice how much time has passed by. The ringing in his ears was just now hitting him. He guess it was made a little worse by the sailor's laughter, but he tried not to let it get the best of him. It felt so refreshing to see a familiar face again.

He could only wish he had Maxie by his side to share in this moment.

Sylvia escorted him into a moderately nice building. It was by no means five stars, but the roof also wasn't caving in on itself. After leading him up three flights of stairs, Syliva stopped in front of an apartment door with "405" hanging near the top of it in a tarnished name plate. The faint hum of a television playing and the sizzle of food cooking over a stove could be heard from the door.

"Now, when I say keep an open mind I really mean keep an open mind," she reminded him.

"You ain't got nothin' to worry 'bout," Archie reassured her. What was it that she could be so afraid about?

She opened the door and kicked her shoes off by the door. Immediately, she was bombarded with two barking Poochyenas. Their black paws padded her legs. One of them even jumped to greet her.

When Archie stepped in, their attention was immediately turned to the stranger.

"Ay, be nice!" she warned the Poochyenas.

"They're just a lil' excited, is all," Archie said as he knelt down and patted the pooches, giving them the attention and affection they were after.

"Sylvia?" the voice in the kitchen called out. After receiving a healthy amount of pets, the Poochyenas scrambled back to their owners. The apartment was small. A beat up couch and a television sitting on a stand made up the living room. Directly joining it was a clearly used kitchen. Plates and pots filled the sink and dishrags lines the limited counter space the apartment offered. Off to the side was a single door, which Archie could only assume led to the bedroom.

Beside the couch was a sleeping Numel that didn't seem bothered by the noise.

"Hey babe," Sylvia greeted in return. Archie stood back up and watched as she delivered a kiss on the cheek to a man a head taller than her. It was a cooperative effort. He leaned down and she stood up on her tip toes. "So...take a guess as who I ran into today."

The guy was tall and lanky, but such a stature shrunk away when he looked at the man in his living room. Archie lifted up his shades to rest them on top of his head and the other man went ghostly white.

"Ar-Archie Aogi-giri?" he asked in a quiet voice full of disbelief. Sylvia took his hand in one hand and patted his back with the other.

"Aye, the one an' only." Archie glanced over at the Numel. The switch to the light bulb in his head flipped on. "Are you...were you a Magma grunt?"

Both of them seemed a little hesitant to answer. The man looked down at Sylvia as if asking her how he should answer, but Sylvia ended up taking the reigns. "Yeah Boss...that's uh, that's kinda why I wanted ya to keep an open mind when ya came in."

Almost as though they were afraid of his answer, they took a small step backwards. They gave each other questioning looks when they saw the stupid grin on his face that was shortly followed by a heart felt laugh.

"Well I'll be damned! You scamps followed in mine and Maxie's footsteps, huh?"

"Uh..." Sylvia started. "Yeah. Sure, Boss. Most of the rest of us banded together in small groups and went our separate ways. But, uh...me and Oscar, we uh..."

"W-we wanted to leave together," the former Magma grunt pipped up. "We wanted to start over on a completely new slate, a-and if you don't like it-!"

"Ay, ay, calm it son," Archie interrupted, holding his hands up to cease the soon to be fire. Shaymin squeaked as the bag shifted on his wrist. "For one, I ain't no one's boss anymore. For two, I ain't upset or anythin'. If anythin' I'm thrilled that ya put the past behind ya." Their shoulders dropped as a newfound easiness washed over their bodies. "This ain't too shabby of a place either."

"It could be better," Oscar shrugged.

"It could be a whole lot worse too," Sylvia countered. "So Bo-Archie. I mean Archie, ya never did say why you were in town." She released Oscar from her grip, only to feel an arm wrap around her shoulders. She looked up at him with a smile before turning her gaze back to Archie.

Now it was Archie's turn to tense up, prompting Sylvia's smile to drop.

"Archie?"

"There's...we got some trouble," he admitted. "Ya'll have heard 'bout Team Galactic, right?"

They both nodded. "Yeah. Those nerds have no idea how to hold their drinks half the time," Sylvia said to lighten the mood, but it didn't really work.

"Don't let that fool ya. Team Galactic is dangerous. That's where me an' Maxie have been for who knows how long."

"Y-you've been working with Team Galactic?" Oscar gasped.

"Not on my own accord." Archie ran a hand through his hair. "When we left Hoenn, we went straight to Sinnoh. We were stayin' under the radar for the longest time, but right when we least expected it, those astro-nuts grabbed us. They're power hungry maniacs that've been copying Team Aqua and Magma an' usin' our methods for their own scheme, so they hit the jackpot when they found out we were in this region. Long story short, my choices were work for them or let my Pokemon be tortured by their insane leader."

Both of their jaws were on the floor. Neither had expected that kind of response. "Then why are you here?" Sylvia asked.

"An-and where's Leader Maxie?" Oscar added. Archie's face went grim.

"There was a raid at our base. I escaped. Maxie didn't. And I know we have a long history of hating each other, but things have changed. I'm not going to leave Maxie in there. He is not on board with Team Galatic's mission at all. We've been doin' our best to stop 'em while we were trapped in there, but now that I'm out...we gotta think of a new plan."

There was a silence in the room. The only sounds came from the sitcom playing on the television, the forgotten food still sizzling away on the stove, and the squeaks of a distressed mythical creature when the Poochyenas started sniffing his bag.

"Oh yeah. Not only did they capture us," Archie started, "but they also got two mythical Pokemon." He reached his hand inside the bag and pulled Shaymin out. The Pokemon sniffed the air and kept a wary eye on the Poochyenas. "Well, one now. I got Shaymin outta there, but they still have their hands on Manaphy."

"Is-is there something else in the bag?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. It's just a lil' Wingull." Archie placed Shaymin on his shoulder and fished out the battered bird. "I haven't had a chance to heal the poor thing up."

"H-here." Oscar broke away from Sylvia and hesitantly stepped toward Archie. His hands were pale and shaky as he stretched them towards the man. "I can-I can heal the little guy up."

"Thanks, mate," Archie said, not hesitating to gently place the bird in the man's hands. Holding the creature close to his chest, he entered the bedroom, probably to grab a potion.

Sylvia leaned on the counter, her brows furrowed in thought as she processed everything. "They have a goal like ours, right?"

Archie nodded. "Kinda." He stepped closer in the kitchen and leaned on the counter beside her. "They wanna make a better world, just using different legendaries."

"Think they'll actually do it?"

"At the rate they're goin', yeah."

Sylvia chewed on the bottom of her lip as Archie scratched his cheek. "Y'know...I'm still in touch with a lot of others from the crew. Oscar is also-"

"Sylvia, Sylvia, you an' the rest of the crew have done enough for me. I don't wanna drag all ya'll into another mess."

"Then what're ya gonna do?"

"I'm...not too sure."

Sylvia huffed. "The world is gonna end if no one does anythin' about it, right? We got the worst rep in Hoenn...we were the bad guys. I didn't think we were, but I guess we were."

"Sylvia..."

"But, maybe this is finally our chance to be the good guys? We don't gotta make a team or rebuild the team or anything. We can just be a group of people who kick some serious ass together and then go back to living our lives. That's what those kiddos did when they kicked our asses."

Archie looked down at the floor as she spoke. "Still, I don't wanna make ya guys-"

"Ya won't be making us do anything, Bos-Archie. I never did nothing I didn't wanna do when I was with Aqua. The same is true here. I want to show the Galactic nerds who's boss. I'm sure plenty of my other peeps feel the same way. I want to take Team Galactic down. The crew will wanna take 'em down too. It's gonna happen. The only thing we need now is a captain, and frankly, I can't think of a better person to call captain than the bag of mush next to me." She punched his shoulder, getting a small, closed mouth laugh out of him.

Archie looked back up at her, seeing the sincerity and fire in her eyes. "You really want me to be captain again? Even with my mush?"

"The greats always come out of retirement sooner or later," she answered with a smirk. "Plus, a few push ups outta get ya back in shape."

Shaymin sniffed the air and squeaked right in Archie's ear. He didn't really hear it. "Well, how can I say no to that?" He grinned as Sylvia jumped in excitement.

"Awesome! You're more than welcomed to stay here while we figure things out. We also got a Wingull for messages now, too! It'll be like the old times, won't it?"

"Can't fight ya on that reasoning," he laughed. The universe really did feel like it was trying to apologize to Archie. Things seemed to be falling into place, but he wasn't about to count his eggs this soon.

"Now the only thing we're missin' is some twelve year old to help us take 'em down," Sylvia joked.

"Aye, that would be helpful. I think the lass that took us down ended up becoming champion. She ain't one to be messed with."

"I think I heard that from those drunks, too."

The drunks also said that the champions were supposed to be all in one place together. And if she became champion...she would be on that cruise.

The universe was just kissing his ass at this point.

Oscar stepped back into the room with the now healthy Wingull perched on his shoulder. "Hey Sylvia! I got a Wingull on my shoulder so I think I-I'm ready to be part of your crew."

"Aw, you're cute, babe."

The lovey dovey eyes soon turned into panic when they noticed the smoke coming from the stove. The forgotten food on the stove was ablaze and the three rushed over to it to put it out. Shaymin bit Archie's ear for not listening to its warning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!!! Sorry this one took so long. I just had absolutely no motivation to write but I still stayed on my 1-3 week schedule so it all works out I guess, lol. Also, I gotta admit that one of my favorite moments during ORAS was meeting the two grunts who fled to the Battle Resort to be together, so of course I had to throw them into this story. The Delta Episode doesn't exist in this fic so I can do whatever I want. 
> 
> Also, I want to formally apologize if a lot of the things in this chapter seemed far-fetched. I backed myself into a corner with this chapter so I've been throwing out ideas in the hopes they stick. In the world of Pokemon, anything can happen. 
> 
> As always, feel free to leave any questions/comments/concerns in the comments below or hmu at authorazumarill.tumblr.com!
> 
> Next time: It's gonna be May


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